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Illustrious: Speedskater Witty grabs gold and sets a record
By Stephen Speckman
Deseret News staff writer
KEARNS — From the throes of illness to the top of her sport, American speedskater Chris Witty has shocked everyone in the speedskating world.
The West Allis, Wis., native not only skated to gold in the women's 1,000 meters Sunday, she also became the first woman to ever skate under 1 minute, 14 seconds with a time of 1:13.83, a world record.
"If I was healthy, that time would have been a surprise," she said.
Last December, in a room with skating legend and team physician Eric Heiden and coach Tom Cushman, Witty was still thinking that a sinking World Cup season might have been attributed to training in Utah's high altitude. She was relieved to find out she had mononucleosis and fought back self pity with a game plan — plenty of rest and listening to her body.
"I have to work with this," she said after Heiden and Cushman left the room. "I have to deal with this."
She credited part of her success to the luck of the draw. Witty was paired with Canadian 500-meter gold medalist Catriona Le May Doan in the 15th of 18 races yesterday.
"I couldn't have asked for a better pair," Witty said.
Le May Doan pushed Witty into the final lap — from there she isn't sure what led her to a world record.
"I think it was all heart," she said.
With three pairs to go, it was still uncertain whether her time would hold on a day when 10 national records were broken. In the end, Sabine Voelker, the German who held the world mark and was favored to win the event, skated away with a silver and her second medal of the Games.
After a bad jump-off the start, U.S. teammate and Miami native Jennifer Rodriguez still finished with the bronze in 1:14.24, becoming the first Cuban-American to ever win an Olympic medal.
"I was crying that I didn't get a medal, and then I was crying that I did get a medal," she said.
Rodriguez's thoughts on Witty reflected what most were thinking going into Sunday's event.
"I don't think anyone was expecting that kind of a race out of her, including Witty," Rodriguez said.
Witty said she was hopeful for a top-five finish.
"I didn't expect to win," she said. "Yeah, it's kind of a complete shock. I had no idea I would have won a gold. . . . That was a dream race. . . . I'm going to have to wake up tomorrow and pinch myself."
The nature of sports is that everyone has something to overcome, Witty added, mindful that she had been in ruts before. Though Witty is past the acute stage of mono, she is still recovering. Her endurance has been low, and her ability to train well has been day-to-day. Before the 1,000, she felt a little fatigue and was "shaky" going to the line.
At the 1998 Nagano Games, Witty won a silver in the 1,000 and a bronze in the 1,500. Witty's former coach, Gerard Kemkers, now a Dutch coach, knew the 26-year-old had more in her than what she had recently shown.
"She's something special," he said, adding that her being an underdog on her home ice in front of a vocal host-nation crowd helped her skate the perfect race.
Even Heiden thought Witty didn't have enough for a medal after skating in both 500-meter events last week.
"I thought she should focus on the 1,000 meters and forget the other races," he said. "I thought the 500 meters would be too much for her."
But there was no way the tough, two-sport Olympian — she finished fifth in track cycling at the 2000 Sydney Games — was going to back away from skating the 1,000.
"That's always been my strongest race," she said. "There was no way I was going to pull out of it."
Though set to skate the 1,500 Wednesday, Witty is already looking forward to relaxing this summer and taking up the sport of cycling again, with her thoughts on competing in the 2004 Athens Summer Games.
With the U.S. long-track speedskating team now owning six medals — Casey FitzRandolph, Derek Parra, Joey Cheek and Kip Carpenter each have a medal — the 2002 team has tied a record set in 1976 when the Americans won six Olympic medals in long-track speedskating. They could surpass that mark with Parra a favorite Tuesday in the men's 1,500 and Rodriguez expected to medal in the women's 1,500.
Americans Amy Sannes and Becky Sundstrom finished 14th and 16th in the 1,000. Witty and Rodriguez are scheduled to receive their medals tonight at the Olympic Medals Plaza.
E-MAIL: sspeckman@desnews.com
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February 18, 2002
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