Chad Hedrick

American speed skater and inline skating legend who won five Olympic medals across five different distances, a feat matched only by Eric Heiden.

Born on 17 January 1977 in Spring, Texas, Chad Hedrick first became one of the greatest inline speed skaters in history, winning 50 world championships and 93 national titles, and revolutionizing the sport with his 'double push' technique, which became a standard for elite skaters worldwide. After watching fellow inline convert Derek Parra win Olympic medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Hedrick decided to switch to ice speed skating. Hedrick's transition proved remarkably swift: after just four months on ice, he placed fifth at the 2003 World Single Distance Championships, and within two years he won the 2004 World Allround title with a world-record combined score, earning the Oscar Mathisen Award as the sport's outstanding skater of the year. He went on to set world records in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m, becoming the first man to skate 10,000m in under 13 minutes. At the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, Hedrick won a medal of every colour — gold in the 5,000m, silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 1,500m — becoming just the third American to win three speed skating medals at a single Winter Games. He competed again at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, adding a silver in the team pursuit and a bronze in the 1,000m, giving him five Olympic medals across five different distances, a feat previously achieved only by Eric Heiden. Hedrick retired from speed skating after the 2010 Games and was inducted into the National Speed Skating Hall of Fame, closing out one of the most versatile careers in the sport's history, spanning both inline and ice disciplines.

Powerful, endurance-based skater renowned for the 'double push' technique he popularized

One of the most versatile speed skaters in history, dominant in both inline and ice disciplines