Parkite speed skater Casey Dawson had just set the team pursuit world record in Salt Lake City last Sunday. He quickly rallied, along with the rest of the speed skating world, for the second World Cup of the season in Calgary, Canada, on Friday.
Dawson was recovered enough not to just compete on Friday; he excelled. He raced his best ever 5000m race, setting the U.S. record in the event. Dawson’s time of 6:01.841 was also good enough for his first-ever individual World Cup win, crossing the finish line a few hundredths of a second faster than Norway’s Sander Eitrem in second place.
The Parkite made his charge in the 12.5 lap race on the final three laps. His speed left the NBC announcer in complete shock.
Dawson’s parents, Mike and Tami, were going crazy for him in the Salt Lake City Airport’s B Terminal. The pair had their earlier flight to Calgary delayed but didn’t let it stop them from cheering on their boy as hard as possible. They made it to Calgary in time for Sunday’s team pursuit win. Dawson and teammates Ethan Cepuran and Emery Lehman continue to be the toast of that discipline, winning on Sunday with a time of 3:35.341, nearly three seconds faster than second-place France.
“Tami and I were bumped from our standby seats on the Friday morning flight to Calgary and rebooked on the evening flight,” Mike Dawson said. “So, instead of seeing Casey’s 5K win in-person, we watched the Peacock livestream on an iPad tablet while waiting at the gate area at SLC airport with our travel pup, Finn, by our side.”
Mike said he thought Casey played his 5000m race well by settling into his steady pace, rather than chasing his pairs opponent in Italy’s Davide Ghiotto. He added that he and Tami were “as stunned as the Peacock commentators” when Casey really started to cut into the race’s fastest time in the final laps of his race.
“As he rounded the last corner, Tami’s screams could already be heard throughout the B Terminal,” Mike Dawson added. “When he crossed the line and the clock confirmed the win, we just started jumping up and down with joy and hugged one another. I was genuinely worried that airport security was on their way to our gate.”
The two said they were over the moon to see all of their son’s hard work pay off with some individual success. Mike and Tami believe Casey’s coach, Gab Girard, and girlfriend, Tanna, have helped him find his groove early this season.
Dawson is ranked as the top long-distance skater in the world heading into the third World Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands, Dec. 5-7. His team is the top team pursuit team in the world. Dawson will look to continue his hot start to the season in the Netherlands as the Olympic Trials and Games inch closer.