Shani Davis is a black speed skater. But all that is old news.
The 31-year-old Chi-Town native has been the dominant speed skater at the middle distances for almost a decade. He has 57 World Cup wins, more than any speed skater except the Canadian legend Jeremy Wotherspoon.
In 2006, he became the first African-American to win an individual Winter Olympic gold. In 2010, he became the first man to repeat in the 1,000.
Hes already run the gamut of greatness in his craft. Davis has set a total of eight world records, three of them current.
Davis has endured the lows of a controversy. Early in his Olympic career, his ethics and ability was questioned in a debacle that clouded his first Team USA qualification in 2002.
And while some peers have accused Davis in the past of being “for self,” hes globally recognized as that dude when it comes to doing Lamborghini mph numbers on the ice. He’s been one of the major speed skating demons for a U.S. Olympic team that has been on fleek for decades, accounting for 29 gold medals and 67 overall medals.
The only thing left for Davis to accomplish before riding off into the sunset as The G.O.A.T. was to win an individual gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Davis failed in that endeavor, but a career as brilliant and game-changing as his should be recognized during TSL’s Black History Month mentions.
https://theshadowleague.com/articles/our-game-2-shani-davis-is-speed-skating-s-black-magic
