Chad Hedrick

Chad Hedrick (born April 17, 1977) is an American inline speed skater and ice speed skater. He was born in Spring, Texas.

Hedrick revolutionized the inline speed skating world with his unique technique, called the double push or DP. During his career he won 93 national championships and 50 world championships, as well as having a brand of inline skating wheels named after him.

Inline speed skating

Speed skating

After winning his 50th World Championship, in Oostende, Belgium, in 2002, he switched to ice speed skating after watching, on a television in a Las Vegas casino in 2002, fellow inline skater Derek Parra win a medal at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. In February 2004, a year and a half after he made his switch, Hedrick won the 2004 World Allround Speed Skating Championships, knocking more than a point off the world record points, reducing it to 150.478. On March 12, 2004, Hedrick won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters during the 2004 World Single Distance Championships, which were held Seoul, South Korea. In 2005 he successfully defended his 5,000 m world title in Inzell, Germany. At the 2005 World Allround Speed Skating Championships he lost his title to Shani Davis. Hedrick has set six world records in speed skating, but these have later been broken by others. He is currently 3rd in the unofficial world ranking, the Adelskalender after having led the rankings from November 2005-7. Hedrick is also one of only six men to have broken the 13 minute barrier on the 10,000 m more than once (the others being Jochem Uytdehaage, Sven Kramer, Lasse Sætre, Eskil Ervik and Carl Verheijen).

2006 Winter Olympic Games

The Texan raised the stakes for the Winter Olympics 2006 in Turin by proclaiming that he would equal Eric Heiden's record of five gold medals. On February 11, 2006 Hedrick won his only gold medal at this Olympics at the 5,000 m.

Hedrick caused controversy when he insisted Shani Davis, fellow American speed skater in the 1,000 m race, should have participated in the men's pursuit, stating, "I don't see what his logic is. We can't be beat if he skates. It's his decision. I'm not going to get in the middle of it. I would like him to be in the pursuit, but am I going to beg him? No."^[1] Five-time gold medalist and Olympic-team physician, Eric Heiden, has publicly written that Shani Davis made the right choice in not participating in the team pursuit and thereby not jeopardizing his chances at a gold medal in his best event, the 1,000 meter race.

As of November 2006^[update], journalists continue to insist that Davis "pulled out," "skipped," "opted out" of the team pursuit.^[2] "Shani did not pull out of the team pursuit because Shani never entered the team pursuit event," said Tom Cushman, who was the long-track coach in the 2006 games,^[3] adding: "Shani has been done an injustice."

Davis eventually won the gold medal in the 1000 m race, while Hedrick finished sixth. In the 1,500 meter race, Davis won the silver medal, while Hedrick won the bronze. Hedrick also added a silver medal in the 10,000 m to his Olympic tally, and with three medals, became only the third American ever to win three medals in a single Winter Olympics.

Post Torino career

On March 5, 2006, Hedrick won a 1500 m race in the Netherlands and captured the 2006 World Cup title in the event. Shani Davis finished second in the race and finished in fourth place overall in the World Cup rankings. Two weeks later, Hedrick participated in the World Allround Championships in Calgary, aiming to take back the title he lost to Davis in 2005. On the fourth and final distance, the 10,000 meter, Hedrick needed to beat Davis by 8.32 seconds, but made a crucial mistake midway through the race; he turned into the inner lane instead of his scheduled outer, and though he realised his mistake quickly, he was motioned off some laps later.

2010 Winter Olympic Games

Hedrick qualified for the 1000 m, 1500 m, 5000 m, and the long-track team pursuit in the 21st Winter Olympiad held in Vancouver. Hedrick lost to Håvard Bøkko in the final pair of the 5000 m event. He would ultimately finish 10 places behind the winner, Dutchman Sven Kramer, in 11th place. Teammate Shani Davis finished one place behind Hedrick. Hedrick skated a 1:09.32 in the 1000 m which was good for the bronze behind teammate Shani Davis and South Korea's Mo Tae-Bum

Personal bests

World Ice Speedskating records

Hedrick has so far skated six world records on ice skates:

• allround samalog, 150.478 (Hamar, 8 February 2004; beaten by Shani Davis 9 March 2005)
• 3000 m, 3:39.02 (Calgary, 10 March 2005; beaten by Eskil Ervik 5 November 2005)
• 5000 m, 6:09.68 (Calgary, 13 November 2005; beaten by Sven Kramer 19 November 2005)
• 1500 m, 1:42.78 (Salt Lake City-Kearns, 18 November 2005; beaten by Shani Davis 19 March 2006)
• 10000 m, 12:55.11 (Salt Lake City-Kearns, 31 December 2005; beaten by Sven Kramer 19 March 2006)
• allround samalog, 148.799 (Calgary, 22 January 2006; beaten by Shani Davis 19 March 2006)

U.S. & World Roller Speed Skating Records

• National roller skating record in the 3,000 meters relay race (1993)
• National inline skating record in the 5,000 meters relay race (1998)
• National inline skating record in the 3,000 meters male-female relay race (1998)
• National inline skating record in the 1,500 meters race (1996)
• National outdoor track record in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters races (1999 and 1998 respectively)
• National outdoor track record in the 15,000 meters race (1998)
• National outdoor road record in the 500 and 1,000 meters races (2001)
• National outdoor road record in the 1,500 meters race (1998)
• National outdoor road record in the 10,000 meters race (2001)
• World outdoor road record in the 1,500 meters race (1999)
• World outdoor road record in the 10,000 meters race (1996)
• World outdoor road record in the 15,000 meters race (2000)

Personal life

On June 7, 2008, Chad Hedrick and Lynsey Elizabeth Adams were married in Houston, Texas. Their wedding was featured on the Style Network reality show "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" They had their first daughter, Hadley Hedrick, weighing 7 lb 15oz, on March the 18th 2009.^[4]

At home

Chad Hedrick's parents own a roller skating rink called Champions Roller World in Spring, Texas.

References

External links

• Official website
• Chad Hedrick's U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Chad Hedrick at SkateResults.com
• Photos of Chad Hedrick
• OffThePodium.com
• Current Adelskalender
• SpeedskatingBase.eu with link to Results of Chad Hedrick
• AP Winter Games Profile: Chad Hedrick
• Associated Press: Davis, Hedrick carving quite an Olympic legacy