NEW YORK — Shani Davis made peace with Stephen Colbert after calling him a "jerk," then edged the faux pundit by a mere 13 minutes for the final spot on the U.S. Olympic speedskating team.
In a taped segment for Wednesday night's "Colbert Report," the two faced off in a 500-meter race at the Olympic oval in Salt Lake City. Colbert called Davis "to apologize for whatever I said that upset you," then shouted "go" while the gold medalist was still driving to the rink.
With Colbert stumbling all over the ice, Davis leisurely parked his car, signed autographs, sipped from a water fountain and put on his uniform. Then he sped around the oval in a time of 35.24 seconds. Colbert's time — 13 minutes, 43.89 seconds.
As a consolation prize, Colbert was named assistant sports psychologist for the team that his show stepped in to sponsor after the main supporter went bankrupt. His fans, the "Colbert Nation," have donated some $300,000 to the team.