ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Interview with Chad Hedrick after winning his first gold medal of the Winter Games and the first for the United States
Record ID:
332076
ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Interview with Chad Hedrick after winning his first gold medal of the Winter Games and the first for the United States
- Title: ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Interview with Chad Hedrick after winning his first gold medal of the Winter Games and the first for the United States
- Date: 12th February 2006
- Summary: TURIN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 11, 2006) SOURCE: REUTERS FAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPH OF CHAD HEDRICK CLOSE UP OF HEDRICK WITH FANS HEDRICK WALKING AND TALKING TO HIS FATHER (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEDRICK SPEAKING: "Of course, when I step out there and get that medal around my neck, this is what it's all about for me. You know, I've been waiting for this day all my life and I'm going to look out there and see all those special people supporting me - trainers, coaches, friends, family, everything - because this was a truly a special moment in my life and this is something that I'm going to be able to look back on in fifty years in a wheelchair talking about how 'Hey, lap 12 was a 29.03 or was it a 29.8". Whatever, these are just special times that are going to last throughout your whole life so I am really happy that it happened." (SOUNDBITE)(English)HEDRICK SAYING:"You know what, my Dad went up to Laura Bush and he said that we are big Bush fans and she said that she's a big Chad Hedrick fan so that was a big compliment to me, being from Houston. She had read about me in the paper a little bit, she's a fan of mine, that's really cool." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEDRICK SPEAKING: "It was a thirteen year anniversary of my Grandmother passing away with brain cancer on February 11 1993. She was a close friend of mine, so along with people who travelled to come to support me here this month, she was watching from above, two or three laps left in the race I got a little tired and I could feel her boosting me and give me a little bit more energy out there, so it was really special." CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) HEDRICK SPEAKING: "I'm not focused on the five gold medals, I'm having fun, taking it one step at a time and that's what I'm going to continue to do, the more fun I have the better I'm going to be, I'm not going to lose focus on anything. As soon as I step out there on the ice and I look at my competitors, we are friends off the ice but when we jump on the ice it's a different story. So I'll be prepared but five gold medals isn't my ultimate goal right here, it's just to go out here and have fun and enjoy it with everybody, I know I will do well if I take it that way".
- Embargoed: 27th February 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA8PS1KZ6O4AOP2KC72II2SLVE8
- Story Text: Chad Hedrick of the U.S. won the men's 5,000 meters speedskating gold medal at the Winter Olympics on Saturday (February 11), a perfect start to his bid to win five golds and equal Eric Heiden's 1980 Olympic sweep.
"Of course, when I step out there and get that medal around my neck, this is what it's all about for me. You know, I've been waiting for this day all my life and I'm going to look out there and see all those special people supporting me - trainers, coaches, friends, family, everything - because this was a truly a special moment in my life," he said.
Hedrick, encouraged by just a few dozen U.S. supporters including U.S. first lady Laura Bush, skated a powerful and consistent race in a time of 6:14.68, with laptimes rarely above 30 seconds.
"You know what, my Dad went up to Laura Bush and he said that we are big Bush fans and she said that she's a big Chad Hedrick fan so that was a big compliment to me, being from Houston. She had read about me in the paper a little bit, she's a fan of mine, that's really cool," he said.
Hedrick also told reporters that he also received support from above:
"It was a thirteen year anniversary of my Grandmother passing away with brain cancer on February 11 1993. She was a close friend of mine, so along with people who travelled to come to support me here this month, she was watching from above, two or three laps left in the race I got a little tired and I could feel her boosting me and give me a little bit more energy out there, so it was really special," he said.
Hedrick got a perfect start to his attempt to win five golds and equal Eric Heiden's 1980 Olympic sweep. But he said he wasn't thinking about that:
"I'm not going to lose focus on anything, as soon as I step out there on the ice and I look at my competitors, we are friends off the ice but when we jump on the ice it's a different story. So I'll be prepared but five gold medals isn't my ultimate goal right here, it's just to go out here and have fun and enjoy it with everybody, I know I will do well if I take it that way".
World record holder Sven Kramer of the Netherlands took silver which was some consolation for the several thousand Dutch fans at the Oval Lingotto rink.
Leading results from the Olympics Speedskating Men's 5000m in Turin on Saturday
Chad Hedrick (U.S.) 6:14.68
Sven Kramer (Netherlands) 6:16.40
Enrico Fabris (Italy) 6:18.25
Carl Verheijen (Netherlands) 6:18.84
Arne Dankers (Canada) 6:21.26
Bob de Jong (Netherlands) 6:22.12
Shani Davis (U.S.) 6:23.08
Oystein Grodum (Norway) 6:24.21
Lasse Saetre (Norway) 6:25.15
Eskil Ervik (Norway) 6:26.91 - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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