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FitzRandolph skates to gold
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Wednesday, February 13, 2002
SALT LAKE CITY (REUTERS) — American speed skater Casey FitzRandolph benefited from friend Jeremy Wotherspoon’s misfortune as he powered to victory in the men’s 500 meters at the Salt Lake City Games.
There was no world record this time — the first two speed skating events of the Games both produced new best times — as FitzRandolph came home in 34.81 seconds for a two-run time of 69.23, just ahead of 1998 champion Hiroyasu Shimizu of Japan (69.26) and American Kip Carpenter (69.47).
There were also few smiles.
A distraught FitzRandolph saw his Canadian friend and training partner Wotherspoon, the pre-race favorite and 1,000-meter world record holder, crash out just a few strides into his opening run Monday.
“This victory is absolutely tinged with sadness; he’s one of my best friends,” FitzRandolph said.
The 27-year-old FitzRandolph, who skated a personal best and Olympic record to lead the event after the first run, shared his muted celebrations with Carpenter, who raced with him in the final pair.
Mirroring their race, the pair skated a lap of victory to the roar of the partisan crowd and rock band Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” each clutching an American flag.
But the normally effusive FitzRandolph contained his joy despite becoming the sixth American to win the title.
His idol, Eric Heiden, was the last to win the crown.
Wotherspoon came out firing in the first race Tuesday, clocking a best-of-the-day 34.63, but no amount of speed could win him the gold after falling in the first run.
“I thought today I went well except for that last bend,” said Wotherspoon, referring to lowering his hand to stabilize himself.
Of Wotherspoon’s chances had he not fallen, FitzRandolph said, “I knew he was the man I needed to skate faster than to win gold.”
Wotherspoon predicted his friend’s victory, which crowned a magnificent season for FitzRandolph, who had skated a personal best ahead of the Olympics.
The American, who trains in Calgary with Wotherspoon and Mike Ireland, who finished seventh, is ranked second in the World Cup standings and was the silver medalist at the World sprint championships in Norway last month.
He came a disappointing sixth in this event in Nagano, after struggling to adapt to clap skates introduced a year earlier.
FitzRandolph said the past 24 hours had been a struggle.
“Yesterday (Monday) was one of the hardest days I have ever had because I was so up and down,” he said. “My nerves were acting up going into the race.”
He did not skate his best race Tuesday. Nevertheless, he said, he had fulfilled a dream and was waiting for it all to sink in.
He said he would skate out the season before deciding whether he would retire.
“I always said I have to enjoy myself to keep doing it,” he said. “This is your life; it’s not a nine-to-five thing.”
Shimizu, recovering from a hip injury, could not hide his disappointment during a presentation made to the athletes after the race.
“If I was able to perform in a more satisfactory physical condition, I might be able to smile from the bottom of my heart,” he said after the race.
His injury, sustained in October, has subdued his World Cup performances this season; he admitted last week he was worried about his form.
Carpenter, in contrast, showed amazing form to steal bronze from several more highly favored athletes.
Ranked 27th in the World Cup last season, the 22-year-old shaved three-tenths of a second off his personal best Monday, a time that he set earlier in the season.
“I was not surprised. I have been waiting for this my entire life,” he said. “It is the best experience of my life.”
Unlike the previous day, there were no falls during Tuesday’s racing.
