Chris Witty was pretty fast for a sick woman Wednesday night, but she doesn’t know if she’ll be back for Part 2.
About a month after receiving the depressing diagnosis that she has mononucleosis, Witty, the gritty veteran of American women’s speedskating, made it to the starting line for the first half of the Olympic 500 meters.
Her time of 38.37 seconds placed her 17th in a field of 33, far behind defending gold medalist Catriona LeMay Doan’s Olympic record 37.30, but it gave Witty a boost.
The strength she felt provided confidence that she will be able to race well in her best event Sunday, the 1,000 meters.
“To be here and start the first one is a victory,” Witty said.
Witty, 26, of West Allis, Wis., is a three-time Winter Olympian, as well as a Summer Olympian in cycling. She owns silver and bronze speedskating medals from 1998 in Nagano, Japan.
Considered the strongest American speedskating medal hope for 2002, she went into a slow decline in late autumn and early winter. When doctors told her what illness was causing her uncommon fatigue, it was unclear whether Witty would be able to race in the Games at all.
She has been on a low-key training program with extra rest ever since.
Witty went off in the ninth pair Wednesday with Canadian Susan Auch. The starter seemed to hold them extra long and twice the whistle blew, calling the racers off the line for false starts.
To be extra cautious about disqualification, Witty said she held back, and it probably cost her a personal best. She missed by just .01.
“I felt good,” Witty said. “I feel like [the power] is there. It could be better. As the race went on, I felt good.”
The other Americans in the race were Elli Ochowicz, 17, of Waukesha, Wis., who was 21st in 38.85; Amy Sannes, 25, of St. Paul, Minn., 22nd in 38.86; and Becky Sundstrom, 25, of Glen Ellyn, 23rd in 38.89.
Ochowicz, the daughter of past U.S. Olympic medalist Sheila Young, made her Olympic debut and is pointing to future Games.
“I’m using this for experience,” she said. “I did get a little nervous. That doesn’t usually happen to me. This is way different.”
Sundstrom, a 1998 Olympian, smiled and waved to the crowd after her race, even though she hoped to go a little faster.
Under her skin-tight suit she wore a speedskating necklace, a recent gift from her boyfriend, and marveled at the noise made by spectators numbering more than 4,800.
“It’s hard not to smile when people cheer like that,” Sundstrom said. “Training went really well. That’s why my expectation was higher.”
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Witty has kept such a low profile lately, trying to recoup her energy, that not even teammate Sundstrom knew what to expect.
“Witty is a veteran,” Sundstrom said. “She knows what she’s doing out here.”
Actually, Witty wasn’t sure how she would feel before she raced, and when she left the arena she said she wasn’t sure if she would compete in the second half of the 500 Thursday or wait for the 1,000. She said she would sleep on the decision.
“If my energy is drained, I won’t go,” Witty said. “I’ll see how I feel.”
Witty is ready to fight her illness another day. She’s just not sure which day it will be.