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<p>GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) &#8212; Speedskater Shani Davis was noticeably absent from the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics after losing a coin flip to carry the U.S. flag and lead American athletes into the stadium.</p><p>A U.S. Speedskating spokesman said Saturday that Davis originally planned to skip Friday night&#8217;s festivities because of his training schedule but briefly reconsidered when he was nominated by his teammates to be the flag bearer.</p><p>Davis and luger Erin Hamlin tied 4-4 in voting by fellow athletes to carry the flag. Hamlin won the honor in a coin toss, a process the 35-year-old speedskater said was executed &#8220;dishonorably&#8221; in a post on his Twitter account.</p><p>His tweet included a hashtag mentioning Black History Month, which raised the question of whether the five-time Olympian was suggesting that race played a role in the decision. Davis is black, Hamlin is white.</p><p>The tweet drew a firestorm of reaction on social media, with Davis alternately criticized by some and supported by others.</p><p>He didn&#8217;t speak to reporters after his training session Saturday for the second straight day.</p><p>A tweet from his account a few hours after the opening ceremony read: &#8220;It has been such an honor to have represented the greatest, most diverse country in the world at the last five Winter Games during the same month as #blackhistorymonth #goTeamUSA Watch &#8216;Origins of Black History Month.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>Davis&#8217; verified Twitter account has been changed to protected status, which blocks potential followers.</p><p>Team spokesman Matt Whewell said Davis was intent on staying focused on his Olympic races for now. The two-time Olympic champion is set to compete in the 1,500 meters on Tuesday, followed by the 1,000 on Feb. 23.</p><p>Davis has trained separately from his U.S. teammates for years, including the last two summers in South Korea.</p><p>In a Feb. 6 blog post he wrote for TeamUSA.org, Davis explained that he chose to complete his pre-Olympic preparations in Germany while the U.S. team had its camp in Milwaukee. He wrote that he was &#8220;so charged up and nervous&#8221; in boarding his flight from Amsterdam to Seoul that he didn&#8217;t pay attention to his seating assignment.</p><p>Another passenger tried to claim a seat that Davis believed was his, although the skater admitted he was incorrect.</p><p>&#8220;I felt he was being rude by the way he blurted to me I was wrong, and I responded to him something like, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be mean about it!!&#8221; Davis wrote. &#8220;People make mistakes, so of course he was laughing and I told him not to smile at me!! I couldn&#8217;t believe this situation I was in lol, but maybe this is that fire my skating has been missing?! If so the skate world better watch out!!&#8221;</p><p>Davis was part of an Olympic controversy in 2006, when he became the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Games. He decided not to take part in the team pursuit event, which raised the ire of teammate Chad Hedrick. Their animosity toward one another was obvious at a news conference, when Hedrick brought up the team pursuit and Davis stormed out of the room.</p><p>However, Hedrick was supportive in a recent tweet .</p><p>&#8220;Whether you are the flag bearer or not you will go down as one of the best Winter Olympians in US history,&#8221; he wrote.</p><p>___</p><p>More AP Olympic coverage: https://wintergames.ap.org</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Shani Davis of the United States trains during a speed skating training session prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/John Locher)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_119781138-215aab7d11fa43ecb492bcd5540c2d10.jpg</photo0><caption0>Shani Davis of the United States trains during a speed skating training session prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/John Locher)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_119781138-e7225ba8a1b449c1863f90d499657b56.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Shani Davis of the United States trains during a speed skating training session prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/John Locher)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_119781138-e7225ba8a1b449c1863f90d499657b56.jpg</photo1><caption1>Shani Davis of the United States trains during a speed skating training session prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/John Locher)</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>

Shani Davis skips opening ceremony after losing coin toss