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Suit-war II opens, but few complaining
Romme and his 'Swift Skin' outfit lead in 5,000 meter
By Jay Evensen
Deseret News editorial page editor
In 1998, some long-track speedskaters cried foul when Dutch superstar Gianni Romme and his teammates used high-tech suits with silicon stripes and set new world records.
Suit War II begins Saturday at noon at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns. The men's 5,000 meters is the first long-track event of the 2002 Games, and once again Romme is favored to win. And once again, he's got a new suit.
Nike has designed a new "Swift Skin" body suit that will be worn by all Dutch and U.S. long-track skaters. It uses six different types of fabrics in different parts of the body in an effort to reduce wind resistance as much as possible. For instance, the long-distance skaters will have one type of fabric on the hand they typically place behind their back and another on the hand that moves up and down through the air.
This time, however, other nations aren't complaining. Some of them have their own new high-tech suits developed by other companies.
Suit innovation is the latest twist in long-track speedskating, a sport that was revolutionized in 1998 by the clap-skate, an innovation that allows skaters to keep contact with the ice longer. Once those came into play, dozens of world records fell. This year, the incredibly fast ice in Kearns is expected to help skaters set new records as well.
But, new suits or not, the Dutch are expected to dominate the men's 5,000. In World Cup standings so far this year, Romme is a solid first, followed by Carl Verheijen and Bob de Jong, both also from the Netherlands. Romme and de Jong took the gold and silver, respectively in Nagano in '98. Dutch skater Rintje Rigsma won the bronze.
Expect a loud and demonstrative contingent of Dutch fans Saturday. Long-distance skating, considered the most boring events in speedskating by many, is revered by many Dutch fans. At the World Single-Distance championship held in Kearns last March, Dutch fans brought their own brass band and easily provided more than half of the spectators on hand.
For the Americans, Derek Parra and KC Boutiette are entered. For Boutiette, this will be his third Olympics. Parra, who recently became a father for the first time, is expected to contend for a medal in the 1,500 meters. However, neither Boutiette nor Parra are expected to threaten the Dutch in the 5,000 meters. Parra is ranked 15th in World Cup standings.
But despite what may well be a slow start on Saturday, many expect the U.S. long-track team to do well overall, especially in the shorter distances. Casey FitzRandolph is a strong contender for the gold in the 500 and 1,000 meters, if he can get past Japan's Hiroyasu Shimizu and Canada's Jeremy Wotherspoon.
On the women's side, Jennifer Rodriguez may be the best hope in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters. But many people will be rooting for Chris Witty, the 1998 silver and bronze medalist who is competing despite suffering from mononucleosis.
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February 9, 2002
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