Chad Hedrick

Chad Hedrick started out as an inline skater, and was one of the greatest US roller speed skaters ever, winning 50 World Championships, 93 US Championships, and setting multiple world records. He revolutionized inline speed skating with his technique of a double-push, called the DP, which is now standard at world-class levels. After watching fellow inline skater Derek Parra win two medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Hedrick decided to switch to ice speed skating. After only four months on ice, Hedrick placed fifth in the 5,000 at the 2003 World Single Distance Championship, and after only two years of skating, he won the World Allround title in 2004 with a world record samalog of 150.478, and was awarded the Oscar Mathisen Statuette for 2004, given to the top speed skater performace in the world for the year.

Between then and the Torino Olympics, Hedrick established himself among the best long-distance skaters in the world, setting world records in the 1,500, 5,000, and 10K in November-December 2005. He entered the 2006 Winter Olympics with chances to win medals in all three events as well as the new team pursuit, and Hedrick predicted he would equal Eric Heiden’s five gold medals, adding the 1,000. The Torino Olympics started out well for Hedrick, as he won the 5,000 metres, but he won no further gold medals, although he did win a bronze in the 1,500 and silver in the 10K. But in the team pursuit, Hedrick and teammate Shani Davis got into a controversy when Davis elected not to compete, stating that it would interfere with his own best event, the 1,000, in which he would win the gold medal. Without Davis, the US pursuit team struggled and placed only sixth. Hedrick continues to speed skate internationally, but not quite as successfully, placing fourth at the 2008 World Allround. He was the leader on the Adelskalender from November 2005 thru March 2007.

Personal Bests: 500 – 35.58 (2006); 1000 – 1:08.23 (2005); 1500 – 1:42.78 (2006); 3000 – 3:39.02 (2005); 5000 – 6:09.68 (2005); 10000 – 12:55.11 (2005); Allround Samalog – 148.799 (2006).