Shani Davis: Making Black History at the 2014 Winter Olympics

A look at the speed skater’s historical moments.

Shani Davis Is Going for Gold - Shani Davis already made history at the 2006 Winter Olympics when he took home the gold medal for the 1,000 meter race and became the first African-American to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Olympics. Four years later, he did it again.  Now in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Davis is taking another shot at making history by becoming the first American man to win three straight Winter Olympic gold medals in one event. Keep reading to follow Davis’s historical moments. — Dominique Zonyéé (@DominiqueZonyee)(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

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Shani Davis Is Going for Gold - Shani Davis already made history at the 2006 Winter Olympics when he took home the gold medal for the 1,000 meter race and became the first African-American to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Olympics. Four years later, he did it again.  Now in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Davis is taking another shot at making history by becoming the first American man to win three straight Winter Olympic gold medals in one event. Keep reading to follow Davis’s historical moments. — Dominique Zonyéé (@DominiqueZonyee)(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

Humble Beginnings - Raised by his single mom in Chicago, Shani Davis started rollerskating at the age of 2 and by 6 years old he was on the ice. He joined the Evanston Speedskating Club to help hone his skills.(Photo: Getty Images for Adidas)

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Humble Beginnings - Raised by his single mom in Chicago, Shani Davis started rollerskating at the age of 2 and by 6 years old he was on the ice. He joined the Evanston Speedskating Club to help hone his skills.(Photo: Getty Images for Adidas)

A Child Star - Like most children, Davis enjoyed playing video games and hanging with friends, but seeing the star power in her son, Shani’s mother encouraged him to start competing when he was 8 years old. He began winning regional age-group competitions and started to gain interest in competing on a professional level.(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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A Child Star - Like most children, Davis enjoyed playing video games and hanging with friends, but seeing the star power in her son, Shani’s mother encouraged him to start competing when he was 8 years old. He began winning regional age-group competitions and started to gain interest in competing on a professional level.(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Teenage Dream - Davis went on to win five National Age Group Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2003. But he didn’t start making skating history until he was 17 years old when he became the first American skater to earn spots on both the short track and long track Junior World Team in 2000.(Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

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Teenage Dream - Davis went on to win five National Age Group Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2003. But he didn’t start making skating history until he was 17 years old when he became the first American skater to earn spots on both the short track and long track Junior World Team in 2000.(Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

All Three U.S. World Teams - Shani was just getting started. When he was 22 years old, he won his third consecutive U.S. All-Around Championship and Regional Qualifier in the long track events. That same year, he became the first U.S. skater to make all three World Teams in the same season (World Sprint, World All-Around and World Short Track).(Photo: Getty Images)

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All Three U.S. World Teams - Shani was just getting started. When he was 22 years old, he won his third consecutive U.S. All-Around Championship and Regional Qualifier in the long track events. That same year, he became the first U.S. skater to make all three World Teams in the same season (World Sprint, World All-Around and World Short Track).(Photo: Getty Images)

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Another First for Black Skaters - Davis’s speed and athleticism would continue to pay off as he made the Olympic team in 2002. He beat Apolo Ohno and Rusty Smith in the 1,000-meter race to earn a spot on the U.S. team becoming the first Black speed skater on the team. However, critics suggested that Ohno and Smith slowed down to let Shani get a spot on the team.(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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Another First for Black Skaters - Davis’s speed and athleticism would continue to pay off as he made the Olympic team in 2002. He beat Apolo Ohno and Rusty Smith in the 1,000-meter race to earn a spot on the U.S. team becoming the first Black speed skater on the team. However, critics suggested that Ohno and Smith slowed down to let Shani get a spot on the team.(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

All Gold Everything  - Davis’s Olympic games debut casted no doubts that he belonged on the U.S. Olympic team. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Davis won the 1,000-meter race to become the first Black Olympian to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Games, and added a silver medal in the 1,500-meter event.(Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

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All Gold Everything  - Davis’s Olympic games debut casted no doubts that he belonged on the U.S. Olympic team. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Davis won the 1,000-meter race to become the first Black Olympian to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Games, and added a silver medal in the 1,500-meter event.(Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Times Two - While he continued to rack up American and World championships, Davis’s second trip to the Winter Olympics in 2010 would again set him apart as the best speed skater in the world. He broke two world records in the 1,000m and 1,500m and took home the gold and silver.(Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

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Times Two - While he continued to rack up American and World championships, Davis’s second trip to the Winter Olympics in 2010 would again set him apart as the best speed skater in the world. He broke two world records in the 1,000m and 1,500m and took home the gold and silver.(Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

Setting the Bar Even Higher - Since holding his Olympic titles in 2010, Shani Davis continues to set the bar high for speed skaters around the world. He won the Overall World Cup 1,500 meter for a fourth time and won the World Championship 1,000m for a third time. He also led his teammates to the USA's first Team Pursuit World Championship Gold Medal.(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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Setting the Bar Even Higher - Since holding his Olympic titles in 2010, Shani Davis continues to set the bar high for speed skaters around the world. He won the Overall World Cup 1,500 meter for a fourth time and won the World Championship 1,000m for a third time. He also led his teammates to the USA's first Team Pursuit World Championship Gold Medal.(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

A Three-Peat - David is in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics preparing to defend his title. If he wins the gold, he will become the first American man to win three straight Winter Olympic gold medals in one event.(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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A Three-Peat - David is in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics preparing to defend his title. If he wins the gold, he will become the first American man to win three straight Winter Olympic gold medals in one event.(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)