She couldn’t do it four years ago, when a lot of people thought she could, but speedskater Chris Witty did it Sunday, when hardly anybody thought she would.
Learning in mid-January that she had mononucleosis, Witty wasn’t even sure the Salt Lake City Games were in her future. Today, she’s the proud, if shocked, owner of the gold medal for the women’s 1,000-meter race. Even more stunning to her–and to anyone else who knows what a strength-sapper mono is–the longer she skated the stronger she got, closing fast and winning in world-record time, 1 minute 13.83 seconds.
“If I was healthy, that time would have been a surprise,” she said.
In skating it, although she didn’t know it at the time, she beat both Sabine Voelker of Germany, the World Cup leader who had set the old record, 1:14.06, here at the Utah Olympic Oval in December, and U.S. teammate Jennifer Rodriguez, second to Voelker in the World Cup standings and looked to as the great American hope, once Witty’s illness was announced.
Voelker took the silver in 1:13.96, Rodriguez the bronze in 1:14.24.
“I don’t think anybody was expecting that race out of Witty,” Rodriguez said, “including herself.”
Witty could only agree.
“I was just happy to skate,” she said. “I didn’t expect to win.”
Until she put on her finishing kick, in fact, there was strong doubt she would win her race within the race.
She was paired with Catriona LeMay Doan, the Canadian sprinter who won the women’s 500 last Thursday.
“I was really happy to have Catriona,” she said. “She gets me off the line.”
Which, in Sunday’s race, was precisely what she needed.
“Before the race, I felt a little fatigued, a little shaky going to the line,” said Witty, the 26-year-old native of West Allis, Wis. “So I told myself to relax, just focus on skating, don’t think about anything else and have a good race.”
Then LeMay Doan, even starting from the slower outer lane, got off to one of her jackrabbit starts, which got Witty’s competitive juices flowing. The Canadian skated the first 200 meters in 17.53 seconds, but Witty was only inches behind.
“It was the first time ever I went under 18,” she said.
Still, she was behind, and stayed there through the first lap, although never far off the pace.
“At 600 meters, with one lap to go, I was right with her,” Witty said.
“I knew I had a chance. I saw Catriona in front and I was so happy to be that close. I just chased her and chased her.”
And finally caught her in the last turn, passing the Canadian coming out of the turn and powering through the finish line, setting off a raucous crowd reaction.
She pushed back her hood, checked her time on the scoreboard, checked it again, then choked back tears.
“I think it was all heart,” she said of her strong finish. “It wasn’t my legs.”
As impressive as her race had been, though, it was far from won.
In the next pair were Rodriguez and Anni Friesinger of Germany, Rodriguez the more dangerous skater.
“I was really excited for [Witty], but I wanted to hurry and get my race going,” the former inline skater from Miami said. “I knew that I could skate a time close to that.”
But her chance evaporated when she slipped in the first corner.
Voelker was next, and her start was impeccable. She had a 17.60-second opener and was skating a record pace with a lap left but couldn’t match Witty’s kick.
Then, in the final pair, Russian Svetlana Zhurova uncorked a 17.41 opener and was ahead of Witty’s pace with a lap left.
“That last lap was like a 10-minute lap,” Witty said. “I couldn’t watch it, but I didn’t know where to look. I’d look at the board, then I’d look at the track.”
And when it was over, Zhurova had faded badly and Witty was the winner of the race that had eluded her in the Nagano Games.
There, as the strong, healthy star of the U.S. women’s team, she had a chance to knock Marianne Timmer of the Netherlands out of the gold but just missed.
No missing this time.
“I’m going to have to wake up tomorrow and pinch myself,” she said.
