Shani Davis defends his 1,000-meter speedskating gold

With a blazing fast last lap, American Shani Davis successfully defended his 1,000-meter speedskating gold. The win makes him the first black athlete to win an individual gold in consecutive Winter Olympics. It’s the skater’s second career gold and third medal overall.

Though he has encountered his fair share of controversy, Davis silenced his critics with his performance Wednesday night. With the whole world watching, Davis demonstrated just how amazing he is. Thanks to his pinpoint turns and long fluid strides, Davis turned in a time of 1:08.94, edging his rival, South Korea’s Mo Tae-bum, by just 18 hundredths of a second to become the first men’s skater to win back-to-back titles in the 1,000 meters. Fellow American Chad Hedrick took home the bronze.

After finishing 12th and 18th in his two previous races at this Olympics, Davis emphatically asserted himself as the world’s best at 1,000 meters. He’ll have his next shot at a medal on Saturday, when he skates the 1,500-meter event. Davis will be hoping to improve upon his silver-medal performance at the 2006 Turin Games.

While we won’t know until the medal ceremony if Davis thanks team sponsor Stephen Colbert – something Al Michaels would consider a “miracle” – this almost certainly greenlights a sequel to “The Incredibles.”