Athletes - Apolo Anton Ohno

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	Athletes - Apolo Anton Ohno

Apolo Anton Ohno (born May 22, 1982) is an American short track speed skating competitor, and a two-time gold medalist in the Winter Olympics. Ohno has won five Olympic medals over his career, and is one of only four Americans who have won three medals in a single Winter Olympic games.

Ohno was born in Seattle, Washington to Jerrie Lee and Japanese-native Yuki Ohno. His father, who owns a hair salon, got divorced when Apolo was still an infant, and raised him as a single father. His father, concerned with young Apolo's "free time," got him involved in competitive swimming and in-line skating. He took Apolo to his first short-track ice skating race, where Apolo found his niche.

When Apolo was 14 years old (1997), a year after he had appeared in Sports Illustrated for Kids as a "Hotshot.", he became the youngest ever U.S. Champion. In the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, he finished last in the trials; however, four years later, in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Ohno won the gold medal in the 1500-meter race as well as the silver medal in the 1000-meter race. Both of Ohno's 2002 Olympic medals were shrouded in controversy. He currently dates fellow short track speed skater Allison Baver.

The 2002 Winter Olympics

In Salt Lake City, Utah, Ohno rose as one of the most popular athletes during the games. Under the media spotlight, he charmed crowds with his unique and laid-back style. He became the face of short track speed skating, which was a relatively new and unknown sport at the time, and carried the medal hopes of America. Though he fufilled expectations, winning a silver and gold medal, his races were surrounded by controversy.

In the 1000 meter race, Ohno was leading the pack after the last corner, but then fellow skater Li Jiajun (李佳军) crashed, taking himself, Ohno, Mathieu Turcotte and Ahn Hyun-Soo (안현수) into the barriers. The sole man standing was Steven Bradbury, who was trailing behind at the time, and skated through to win the gold medal. Ohno scrambled up and crossed the finish line second to win silver, although some people have suggested that he should have been disqualified for not having his feet on the ice when he crossed the finish line.

In the 1500 meter race, Ohno controversially won the gold medal, with a time of 2:18.541. During the 1500 meter final race, South Korean Kim Dong-sung (김동성) was first across finish line, but Ohno received the gold when the judges disqualified Kim Dong-sung after the race for blocking him, in what is called crosstracking. Some said they felt that the call was unfair and that Ohno had play-acted a near miss with Kim by throwing up his hands as a signal of protest to the judges. Ohno denied this, stating that he was forced to stand up to avoid a collision.

The dissatisfaction in South Korea as a result of his 1500 meter win produced a very negative response which included crashing the International Olympic Committee's e-mail account and thousands of accusatory letters, many of which were death threats. TimeASIA's Josh Tyrangiel argues that for many of the Korean fans, this strong response goes beyond the alleged play-acting, and stems from two additional items deeply rooted in the pride of many Koreans . First, a strong anti-U.S. sentiment is present due to several unpopular incidences involving the U.S. troops stationed in Korea. Second, a prevailing anti-Japanese sentiment has been present since the Japanese Occupation of Korea.

Ohno refused to participate in a 2003 World Cup short track event in Korea for security reasons. An estimated 100 riot police stood guard at Inchon International Airport to make sure no harm came to Ohno when he went to South Korea for the second World Cup meet in 2005. Ohno won two gold medals, which were the only medals won by Americans at the meet.

Ohno has continued to find himself at or near the top of his sport since the 2002 Winter Games. He was the first American to be the overall World Cup champion during the 2000-01 season and he successfully defended his championship during the 2002-03 and 2004-05 seasons. Ohno has also been the reigning U.S. short track speed skating champion since 2001, and has won the U.S. men's title a total of seven times.

The 2006 Winter Olympics

In the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Ohno stumbled during a semifinal heat in the 1500m, his first event in the Games. As a result, he finished last in his heat and was not able to defend his 2002 gold medal in the event. In the 1000m, Ohno won a bronze medal finishing behind Ahn Hyun-soo (안현수) and Lee Ho-suk (이호석) of South Korea. Immediately at the end of the race, he threw both his arms up in defeat. However, he later said he was grateful to recover from his slip in the 1500m and get back on the podium. As a sign of goodwill, Ahn invited Lee and Ohno to share the top spot with him. The three put their arms around each other, and Ohno shook hands with both his rivals.

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Athletes - Apolo Anton Ohno

The 2002 Winter Olympics

The 2006 Winter Olympics

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