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By Peter Doucet
Chad Hedrick on the ice in Vancouver before earning a bronze in the 1000 meters. It used to be that just about every inline skater who switched to ice — Derek Parra, Jennifer Rodriguez, Chad Hedrick, Joey Cheek — won an Olympic medal. But things have changed. In Vancouver, there are more inline ... or former inline skaters than ever. But after a week of competition, only a few have earned medals and, so far, none have won golds. Considering the big drain on inline talent, that's depressing. But it's not all bad. Our inline Olympians are shining a bright light on our neglected sport. With so many inline Olympians (at least a dozen) in Vancouver, you can hardly find a story about skating without running into the phrase "the former inline skater." At least, we're getting some ink. Here's a rundown on what the inline-to-ice skaters have done so far: Medal winners USA’s J.R. Celski won bronze in the 1500 meter short-track event. This came just five months after Celski suffered a potentially career-ending injury: slicing his thigh all the way to the bone in the U.S. short track trials. Celski, 19, started inline skating when he was three. Inspired by Apolo Ohno, he switched to short track eight years ago. USA's Chad Hedrick, a 50-time World Champion on inline skates, is now one of the world's best known ice skaters. He wasn't competitive in the 5000 meters last week. But he gave fans something to cheer about on Wednesday when he earned bronze in the 1000 meters. (And he also managed to keep the peace with temperamental Shani Davis.) USA's Apolo Ohno, one of the biggest names in winter sports, got his start at Pattison’s West Skating Center in Federal Way, Washington. Once on the ice, he never looked back, excelling, it seems, in everything he does. He took silver this week in the 500 meters. Great performances France’s Alexis Contin, who has been bouncing between ice and inline, put together a strong performance in the 5000 meters. He missed a bronze by just 1.5 seconds. And he was only five seconds behind the great Sven Kramer (NDL), who won gold. What's so impressive about Contin’s 5K is that his time ranks amongst the fastest ever on low altitude tracks. Contin is hoping to be in contention in the men’s 10,000 meters. USA’s Heather Richardson, 20, finished sixth in the women’s 500 meters. She was just a hint over one second behind winner Sang-Hwa Lee of Korea. Richardson proved that she's an up-and-comer. The Netherland's Ronald Mulder recently set his country's 500-meter record on ice. Considering his nation’s rich skating history, that’s pretty impressive. He finished in 11th place in the 500 meters in Vancouver. On inline skates, Mulder has been competitive at the European and World Roller Speed Skating Championships. Canada’s Olivier Jean finished fourth in the men’s 1500-meter race and helped Canada’s relay team qualify for the final. Jean has an extensive inline background in Canada and the USA. Don’t be surprised to see him walk away from Vancouver with hardware around his neck. Getting their feet wet Australia’s Sophie Muir is a former junior world roller champion. She took up ice skating just 18 months ago and finished 29th in the 500 meters, just three seconds off the winner's pace. New Zealand’s Shane Dobbin, for years a top World Inline Cup skater, competed in the 5000 meters in Vancouver, finishing a very respectable 17th. Unfortunately, he won't get to skate the 10,000 meters, his best race.
USA’s Jordan Malone once dominated inline skating, earning a handful of world titles. Injuries kept him out of the 2006 Winter Games, making this his first Olympics. He’s an exciting skater to watch. Look for him to play an important role in the men’s short-track relay squad as they race Korea, Canada, China, and France in the final. Switzerland's Roger Schneider finished 24th in the 5000 meters. The big man is the world record holder in the inline marathon. Hey, inliners ... Let's give them — and ourselves — a big round of applause. Inline rules! Feb. 19, 2010
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Related reading: • Skate Tip of the Week Archive
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