Who Would Have Thought?

Hands up – when the opening ceremony to the Winter Olympics was aired, I was nowhere to be found. Although I call myself a ‘sports lover’ I’ve struggled to connect with sports that require heavy gear which protect you from the elements and not from another athlete. But even I have to admit that I would be forced to strip myself of the title ‘sports lover’ if I did not at least investigate the frosty world of winter sports.

Thankfully, I have an interesting athlete to follow – Shani Davis. Born in Chicago, Davis is the first African American to earn a place on the American Olympic team in 2002, and is the tallest American speed skater. Although his stats are impressive, it is his demeanour which I find to be much more interesting. Davis isn’t about hefty commercial endorsements, Davis doesn’t care about popularity – Davis just cares about skating. And the proof is in the pudding – world record holder, world champion and Olympic medallist.

I for one will be rooting for Mr Davis on Wed (17th Feb) when he goes for gold in the 1000m finals.

Watch this space.