In the serpentine mixed zone at the Richmond Olympic Oval, the young Dutch speedskater Arjen van der Kieft turned a corner after a training session last week and came upon a half-dozen journalists from the Netherlands, who nodded benignly in his direction. A few minutes later, two female Dutch skaters walked past. The journalists acknowledged them, but their pens remained still. They sprang to life when the American Shani Davis bounded into view, pressing into the metal barrier that stood between them and Davis, the better to hear every word he uttered. For every American print journalist who wanted to talk to Davis, there were four Dutch. A Chicago native who in 2006 became the first African-American to win an individual Olympic gold medal, Davis is routinely described as the Tiger Woods of his sport. Perhaps a better analogy is that he is the speedskating equivalent of the soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard: an American athlete who is a bigger deal abroad than in his backyard. In the days leading to the start of the 2010 Olympic speedskating competition, Davis was trailed by Japanese television crews bearing gifts and Korean filmmakers working on a documentary. A broadcasting crew from Brazil, which has no speedskaters entered in the Vancouver Games, recently sat down with Davis for an interview. The fans and journalists who travel the international speedskating circuit describe Davis as personable and accessible. They say he is a superstar at home among the commoners, someone eager to soak up their culture. In the United States, the portrait of the 27-year-old Davis is opaque. He is more wary of reporters and their motives, less comfortable in a culture that celebrates his sport for only a single fortnight every four years. Davis appears to have tapped into a vein that runs through the circuit. On Friday, a German journalist sat in a seat assigned to an American newspaper and turned on his laptop. When told that seat was occupied, he scoffed. 'U.S. journalists at speedskating?' he said. In a TV interview shown in the Netherlands shortly after the 2006 Winter Games, Davis summed up his ambivalence toward the American sporting public, in general, this way: 'People who know you for two minutes and then they forget about you, that's not for me.' After proclaiming his love for all things Dutch, he added, 'Don't be surprised if you see me living here someday and coaching.' The Vancouver Games could be the bridge that transverses the distance between Davis' image at home and abroad. On Wednesday, Davis stopped in the mixed zone after a light training session, a pastel-colored chullo on his head and a smile on his face. With relish, he unfurled a banner he had received from a Japanese TV crew that featured a picture of his favorite Pokemon character, Pikachu, and proclaimed it cool. Davis went on to declare his love for the Japanese candy Hi-Chews, which are similar to Starbursts, and the Buddhist temples he has visited during his extensive travels to Japan. His popularity there is easily explained, he said: 'I think they have a lot of respect that an American kid from the South Side of Chicago fell in love with their culture.' When in the Netherlands, Davis talks about his fondness for farmer's cabbage and other local dishes. 'That makes him popular,' said a Dutch journalist, Marina Witte, 'because it makes him like one of us.' The Dutch, who are known for their self-control and for their reserve when dealing with outsiders and their abandon among friends, look at Davis and see a kindred spirit. They also like that he is a superstar who approaches his sport like an apprentice. Davis collects notebooks filled with detailed notes of his practices and competitions and watches film of competitors to find ways in which he can get better. 'I think the Dutch appreciate that Shani doesn't take his abilities for granted, that he never really rests on his laurels,' said Eric Heiden, who won a record five gold medals in speedskating at the 1980 Olympics. 'I think they appreciate the fact that Shani knows that even though you are a winner, there are always faults you can find in your performance and it's important to reflect on those.' The long-track speedskating competition opened Saturday with the 5,000 meters, in which the favorite is the young Dutchman Sven Kramer. For the fans from the Netherlands who snatched up more than half the tickets to some of the speedskating sessions, Davis' presence in the race creates a conflict of interest. 'Shani's not a Dutch guy, so they're not going to be rooting for him a ton,' said Nick Pearson, a member of the U.S. team. 'But they do respect him. They do cheer for him because he is as good as he is.' Davis' popularity among the Dutch, Pearson added, 'is maybe like Derek Jeter in Boston.' The Olympics, like the World Series, is where legacies are secured. For that reason, Davis welcomed the spotlight. 'The 15 seconds people know you for, it can be a good thing,' he said Wednesday, 'but just don't take it too personally if it doesn't pan out.' He added: 'You have to remind yourself it's not going to be a thing that lasts forever. So you try the best you can to enjoy it while it's there for you. Because some given day when I'm like maybe 45, people aren't going to want to talk to me and I'll be maybe desperately wanting them to talk to me and give me attention.' On Friday, Davis walked past the mixed zone, which was deserted except for a few American reporters interviewing Ryan Shimabukuro, a coach of the United States team. He walked past the group without stopping, and disappeared behind a curtain. 