American speed skating legend Shani Davis chose to skip the opening ceremonies after losing out on the chance to be the USA team flag bearer on a coin flip.
The flag bearer was chosen at a meeting of representatives from each of the American winter sports bodies. Davis and luge athlete Erin Hamlin were tied at four votes each. At that point, a coin flip was used to break the tie, which was won by Hamlin.
Tweet Blasts ‘Dishonorable’ Process
That led to a controversial tweet from Davis which took issue with the way the flag bearer was determined.
“I am an American and when I won the 1000m in 2010 I became the first American to 2-peat in that event,” the message on Davis’ Twitter feed read. “@TeamUSA dishonorably tossed a coin to decide its 2018 flag bearer. No problem. I can wait until 2022. #BlackHistoryMonth2018 #PyeongChang2018.”
That message can as a surprise to some who know Davis. In fact, one close friend said he wasn’t even sure that Davis was the one who wrote the tweet.
“That doesn’t sound like Shani,” Davis’ former public relations officer and close friend Nathaniel Mills told USA TODAY Sports. “I’d be surprised if he wrote it.”
Davis Originally Intended to Skip Parade
Speculation mounted that there was a racial component to the tweet given the Black History Month hashtag, and immediately, many connected the flag bearer controversy to the fact that Davis didn’t show up for the opening ceremonies.
While there was a connection, it might not be the one many have inferred. According to a spokesperson for US Speedskating, Davis had originally planned not to march in the parade of nations due to an issue with his training schedule, but reconsidered when he found out he had a chance of being tapped to lead the American delegation.
“Shani won’t march in the parade,” the spokesperson said. “It was never part of his plans. He is fully focused on his first race and is concentrating on that.”
That honor will instead go to Hamlin. The luger won a bronze medal in the women’s singles competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics, becoming the first American woman ever to medal in luge. For Hamlin, being chosen as flag bearer was a dream come true.
“We’ve grown up watching the Olympics and we’re always like, ‘Who’s going to be carrying the flag?’” Hamlin said of her and her family. “And to actually be that person is insane.”
While both Davis and Hamlin are already decorated Olympians, neither is favored to reach the podium in 2018. Davis is well down the board in the 1000m men’s speed skating event, where he is listed as a 40/1 underdog to win gold at Bovada — far behind the Netherlands’ Kjeld Nuis, an even-money favorite.
Hamlin has an outside shot at a medal, but is still not among the favorites in her discipline. At the moment, she is the seventh choice at 33/1, with Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger an overwhelming 1/2 favorite to take home the gold medal.