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Shelley Osterloh ReportingTwo of the United State's six gold medals have come from long track speed skaters, and one of those from Chad Hedrick. Hedrick will skate for gold again tomorrow.
By now many of you have heard of the speedskater, Chad Hedrick. But many KSL viewers first met him last summer when he was the victim of a common crime, and asked KSL for help in solving it.
Early one Sunday morning in August, Chad Hedrick discovered someone had smashed the window of his SUV and taken his wallet and a black backpack with his precious one-of-a-kind skates in it.
Chad Hedrick/ US Speedskater: "The wallet is not a big deal, but for me, my skates are my life and that is a big blow for me."
Security cameras caught a man riding in on a bike, smashing the window, and riding out wearing Hedrick's backpack.
Chad Hedrick/ US Speedskater: "It's pretty important for me to find that pair, because no two pairs are the same. And it's within six months of the Olympics, so that's the backbreaker."
Shelley Osterloh, reporter: "The skates he lost cost about two thousand dollars. But they are of little value to anyone else, because they are form fitted to Hedricks' feet. He calls them his lucky skates."
So while he was busy trying to get his old back-up skates ready for training, and canceling credit cards, he got some great news. Right after our story aired, someone spotted the discarded bag with the skates inside.
Hedrick got his skates back, but unfortunately they were too damaged to use. Still he says they are his lucky charm, because he was wearing those skates when he broke his first world record in speedskating. It was in the 3000 meter event.
