All that's left for Hedrick is 10,000

He doesn't have to worry about Shani Davis, who gave his spot to Charles Ryan Leveille.
TURIN, Italy (AP) -- Chad Hedrick finally had a chance to rest. Now, after four Olympics races -- and one very juicy feud -- he'll try to finish these Winter Games like he started.
With a gold medal.
Hedrick is the world record holder heading into today's 10,000 meters, the final men's speedskating event. The competition closes Saturday with the women's 5,000.
The 28-year-old Hedrick already has a gold and a bronze, but he'll need another medal to truly be one of the stars of the games. Remember, it's all about expectations -- and the Texan came into the Olympics hoping to make a run at Eric Heiden's record of five gold medals.
Underachieved
For now, Hedrick doesn't even have the most speedskating medals in Turin. That honor belongs to Italy's Enrico Fabris, who already had two golds and a bronze, with another chance to add to his tally in the 10,000.
Hedrick concedes that he might have overdone it by competing in five events. He won the 5,000, was part of the U.S. pursuit team that lost in the quarterfinals, placed sixth in the 1,000 (his weakest individual event) and had a disappointing third-place showing in the 1,500.
"I've been at the rink nonstop," he said after his last race. "I don't even have time to go to the bathroom right now."
Hedrick took a couple of days off, hoping that would get him back on track for the longest race of the Olympics. He's also tried to put to rest his testy relationship with U.S. teammate Shani Davis, which erupted at the news conference following the 1,500.
"I've got a 10-K to worry about," Hedrick said. "He's got two medals in his pocket, so he's done great. He's competed at an awesome level, and I hope to go and finish it for our team."
Among the other medal contenders: 5,000 silver medalist Sven Kramer and fellow Dutchman Carl Verheijen. The underperforming Norwegian skating team also could be a factor.
Final pairing
Hedrick will be racing Verheijen in the final pairing. Both racers set world records at the same meet in December, and Hedrick took the mark even lower at Salt Lake City later in the month.
Fabris was paired with Johan Rojler of Sweden and likely will need the crowd to roar him on during the final stages.
Momentum does a lot, though, and Fabris has plenty of that. From near-anonymity a few months ago, he has become an Olympic star.
"I still have one race but I am extremely satisfied," Fabris said. "The 10,000 is a long and hard distance and you have to be calm in your head."
He certainly has no pressure to perform. That burden is now on Hedrick and the Dutch.
Hedrick confidently predicted that his final kick would be unmatched in the 1,500, but instead it was Fabris who skated faster over the last lap.
"I felt like I gave it away," Hedrick said.
At least he doesn't have to worry about Davis, who pulled out of the 10,000 and gave his spot to another American, Charles Ryan Leveille. Davis already had a gold in the 1,000 and a silver in the 1,500, meeting his goals for Turin.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.