TURIN, Italy — Gold was on his mind. What good would a gold medal do, after all, when the applause died down? So, two days before his race, Joey Cheek had coffee with Johann Olav Koss in the Olympic village, an American speedskater and his Norwegian inspiration. Koss won four gold medals in speedskating, then devoted his life to the children of the world.
Cheek did not ask Koss how to win the race. He asked how he could help others if he did.
"He was talking that he wanted to do something big," Koss said. "I was so humbled to meet such a person. The most important race of his life is coming up in a couple days, and he's talking about what he can do to give back."
Cheek did that, within minutes after he'd won the men's 500-meter race Monday. He announced that he would donate $25,000 so that children in African refugee camps might have a chance to play sports.
"For me to walk away with a gold medal is amazing," Cheek said, "and the best way to say thanks that I can think of is to help somebody else."
The $25,000 represents the prize awarded by the U.S. Olympic Committee to all gold medalists. Cheek donated his to Right to Play, the organization led by Koss that provides recreation programs to underprivileged children in 20 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
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