Jerry Lampen / Reuters

U.S. speedskaters Shani Davis, left, and Chad Hedrick, right, join Italian Enrico Fabris during the flower ceremony of the men's 1,500-meter race. Fabris took the gold, Davis the silver and Hedrick the bronze.

After the race, Davis hugged Italian Enrico Fabris, the winner and hometown hero, and, when all were on the victory stand, Davis tousled the Italian’s hair and massaged his shoulders. Hedrick put one hand on Fabris’ near shoulder, as close as he was willing to get to a hug, and looked straight ahead.

“I was focused on just going out there and trying to do my best,” said Davis of the 1,500, which Hedrick was favored to win, with Davis favored for second and Fabris figuring to be one of the field who might have a shot for bronze.

Hedrick said he felt the focus on the feud between him and Davis took his mind off the real goal — winning the race.

“There’s no rivalry between two people who want to do their best,” said Davis, who then lectured the media for making a big thing out of the antipathy between the two teammates. “I think it’s pure bad behavior putting extra emphasis and extra pressure on people.”

Hedrick said it’s just fine that the media built up their perceived feud. And he said that each skater’s desire to beat the other has made both of them better.

“Without our competitive nature, neither one of us would be as good as we are,” Hedrick said.

“We’re not Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal,” Davis said. “We’re not going fight each other and roll around in the snow. We’re human beings, and no one is perfect.”

Back in November, Davis had set a world record in the 1,500 in Calgary, a record since broken by Hedrick in Salt Lake City. Davis told NBC before the Games that when he set the record, the rink was empty.

“There was nothing,” he said. “I have no footage whatsoever of the 1,500-meter world record. It was like a ghost town.”

No world records were set Tuesday, but there was a packed house to watch and more reporters to ask about it afterwards than Davis will see in a year’s worth of races — combined.

Hedrick felt that was wonderful. The more people who watch the sport, the better, and it doesn’t matter why they watch. But Hedrick has a lot of showman in him.

Davis would never admit there was anything good in what has happened to speedskating in Turin.

“People in America are trying to make it something that it’s not,” he said.

It’s a nice sentiment, except he played right into it when he brought up his hurt feelings and stalked out of the room.

And Hedrick fueled it further by bringing up the pursuit.

One feels hurt. The other feels betrayed. And what both have accomplished has been diminished by it.