Shani Davis

Sport

Long Track Speedskating

Hometown

Chicago, Illinois

Current Residence

Chicago, Illinois

Olympic Medals

About Shani

Started roller skating as at 2 years old, then turned to speed skating and was competing by age 6
Credits most of his success to his mother whom never put herself first
First black speed skater to earn a spot the U.S Olympic Team in 2002
Made skating history at age 17 for being the first American skater to earn spots on both the short track and long track Junior World team
Enshrined in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture on the National Mall. Here is honored as one of U.S. sports history’s greatest ‘Gamechangers’ alongside Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, and other luminaries
Inspired the creation of Inner City Excellence (ICE), a skating-based youth development program rooted in Olympism that serves hundreds of children each year

First African American athlete to win an individual gold medal in the history of the Olympic Winter Games
All-time career world cup points leader
4x Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
4x Olympic medalist
- 2010: gold, 1,000m; silver, 1,500m;
- 2006: gold, 1,000m; silver, 1,500m
11x World Champion
- 2015: 1,000m;
- 2011: 1,000m, team pursuit;
- 2009: 1,500m, sprint;
- 2008: 1,000m;
- 2007: 1,000m, 1,500m;
- 2006: allround;
- 2005: allround;
- 2004: 1,500m
24x World Championship medalist (11 gold, 6 silver, 7 bronze)
100+ world cup medals
2x recipient of the Oscar Mathisen Award (2005, 2009)
Received the Major Taylor Award in 2006