Amazing Moments in Olympic History: Derek Parra

Derek Parra made the transition from being a highly triumphant roller speedskater to becoming an Olympic speedskater on the ice. He dominated everything when he raced on wheels -- capturing 18 individual world gold medals, two world championships and three national titles.

But he wanted an Olympic medal, and since roller sports are not part of the Olympic Games, he made the decision to switch sports.

At 26, he put inline skates aside and laced up a pair of speed skates.

Making the switch from wheels to blades can be rough. Not only does the technique differ in the two sports, but the financial situation also changes. Parra had been at the top of his sport when he was on wheels, and he had the comfortable salary to prove it.

But now he had to start all over. Parra was an unknown to the ice speedskating world, so it was impossible to attract any sponsors. He had to work part-time jobs that were flexible enough to coincide with his new training schedule. That meant getting up extremely early in the morning to fit a work shift in before practice at lunch time.

Yet two years later, Parra was among the best speedskaters in the United States. He made the 1998 U.S. Olympic Team as an alternate. He packed his bags and made the long flight over to Japan, but once he was over there, he learned that he would not be making his Olympic debut. As it turns out, the skater who had dropped out and allowed Parra to qualify made a last-minute decision to skate.

Parra was devastated. He was ready to compete, and his chance was taken away so quickly. This only made him work harder to qualify for the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

At his Olympic debut at the 2002 Games, the speedskater competed in three events. But even before he stepped out on the ice to compete, he was honored by being one of the U.S. athletes selected to carry the World Trade Center flag into the Opening Ceremony.

The next day, Parra was on the ice in the 5,000-meter race. For this event, he wasn't even supposed to be in the running. He maybe was supposed to finish in the top 10.

Maybe.

But that didn't end up happening. Parra showed everyone what he was capable of when he completed the 12.5 laps in world-record time. The world, and Parra himself, was stunned. What he had done was astounding and confounding.

Unfortunately, a Dutch opponent skated faster than Parra and set a new world record later that day, but Parra still got to stand on the podium and accept an Olympic silver medal. His time may not have qualified as a world record, but it did qualify as an American record, which he still holds today.

The hype and media frenzy leading up to the 1,500 event 10 days later on Feb. 19 were overwhelming. Everyone was asking if Parra could capture the gold. When it finally came time for the race, he was the leader in the event, so it was no surprise when he skated to a gold-medal finish.

What was surprising, however, was that Parra completed another event in a world-record time. His record time of 1:43.95 also still stands today.

Parra's final event, the 10,000, was held on Feb. 22. Like the 5,000, he wasn't expected to do well. And this time he didn't. The Dutch dominated the top two spots, but Parra wasn't behind them this time. He placed 13th.

Afterward, however, everyone was talking about his medal-winning victories. In addition to training and practice, he spent the next four years leading up to the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games as a motivational speaker. He had overcome his transition from roller sports to speedskating on ice and his financial struggles to become the first Mexican-American to compete and medal in an Olympic Winter Games.

The Torino Games didn't bring out the best results in the two-time Olympic medalist -- Parra finished seventh in the team pursuit and 19th in the 1,500.

Parra served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 2002 to 2004. In April of this year, the 39-year-old was named the all-around coach for the ice speedskating national team for the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

People still remember and are inspired by Parra's efforts at the 2002 Games seven years ago. It's no wonder why they've asked him to coach future Olympians for the upcoming Winter Games.

Tags: Amazing Moments, Derek Parra, USA Speed Skating