Shani Davis

Shani Davis is a 2x Olympic champion, 11-time World Champion, and the first African American athlete to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. A trailblazer in speedskating, he also inspired the creation of Inner-City Excellence (ICE), a youth program rooted in Olympic ideals that introduces hundreds of children each year to skating, leadership, and confidence-building

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At a Glance

Sport

Speedskating

Long Track

Hometown

Chicago, Illinois

Current Residence

Chicago, Illinois

About

Started roller skating at 2 years old, then turned to speedskating and was competing by age 6
Credits most of his success to his mother who never put herself first
First black speed skater to earn a spot on the U.S Olympic Team in 2002
Made skating history at age 17 for being the first American skater to earn spots on both the short track and long track Junior World team
Enshrined in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall. He is honored as one of U.S. sports history’s greatest game changers’ alongside Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, and other luminaries
Inspired the creation of Inner-City Excellence (ICE), a skating-based youth development program rooted in Olympism that serves hundreds of children each year

Accolades

Olympic Champion

Olympic Champion and 4x Olympic Medalist

World Champion

11x World Champion and 24x World Championship Medalist

Major Taylor Award Recipient

Major Taylor Award Recipient in 2006

Shani Davis

At a Glance

About

Accolades

Olympic Champion

World Champion

Major Taylor Award Recipient

In the News

Olympic Talk

Anchorage Daily News

History.com