SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Fifty of Derek Parra's relatives and friends watched him on television at his parents’ house here on Feb. 19.

When the Olympic speedskater crossed the finish line in first place, the local newspaper reported, the crowd back home “raised their fists and shrieked for the ‘good little boy’ who had made a devout family proud.”

Then the skater crossed himself, and they screamed again.

The 31-year-old Mexican-American was a star of the Winter Olympics. He held the World Trade Center flag at the Opening Ceremonies; he set a world record in one gold-medal skate; he won silver in another.

His Catholic lifestyle was also on display.

The hardware-store employee has a newborn daughter whose picture he showed off whenever he could. After racing, he skated over to his wife saying, “I love you.” He knelt to pray on the Olympic podium before standing to receive his medal.

“I hear [Dutch skater] Gerard Van Velde drives a Ferrari,” Parra told Reuters. “I drive a Honda Civic and I have to save to put gas in it.”

Before racing, “I was thinking I'm truly blessed,” said Parra. “I guess this just shows what people can do if they have faith and have people behind you who support you.”

— Register Staff