Apolo Anton Ohno

Apolo Anton Ohno (born on May 22, 1982) is an American short track speed skating competitor and a five-time medalist (2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) in the Winter Olympics. He also competed in and won the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars in 2007.

Ohno has won five Olympic medals over his career, and is one of only four Americans who has won three medals in a single Winter Olympics game. He has been the reigning U.S. short track speed skating champion since 2001, and has won the U.S. men's title a total of nine times. In 2008, Ohno won his first World Championship overall title.

Early life

Ohno was born in Federal Way, Washington, to his American mother Jerrie Lee and Japanese-born father, Yuki Ohno. He has one older half-brother. His parents were divorced when Ohno was a baby, and he was subsequently raised alone by his father.

Ohno's father, a high-fashion hair stylist and owner of the salon Yuki's Diffusion, often worked twelve hour shifts, and with no family in the States, often found it hard to balance career and family.

As Ohno got older, he began to get involved in mischief and even petty delinquency. His father, concerned with a young Ohno's "free time," involved him in competitive swimming and in-line skating, and at 13 Sports Illustrated for Kids named him "Hotshot" for his skating. Despite the younger Ohno's athletic talent, he still was becoming increasingly more unruly, hanging out with older teenagers.

Career

Early career

When he was 14 years old, Ohno became interested in short-track after seeing the sport during the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. Capitalizing on this, his father drove him to meets throughout the Northwest US and Canada, and Ohno won several competitions in his age divisions. However, it wasn't enough to keep Ohno from running with a rough crowd — people involved with drugs, theft and even violence. Desperate, his father successfully pleaded for Ohno to be admitted into the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center to train full-time for short track, despite being too young (the center has a 15-year-old minimum age requirement). Ohno didn't go to the Center, instead ditching the flight and disappearing with a friend for a week while making taunting calls to his father without revealing where he was. His father's pleas for him to come home, coupled with a long talk with his aunt, persuaded Ohno to return.

Eventually he made it to Lake Placid, as Ohno's father accompanied his reluctant son to the airport and ensured his departure. Despite conceding, Ohno's commitment to the program was low, until his teammates nicknamed him "Chunky," sparking him to train harder. In 1997, when Ohno was still only 14 years old, he became the youngest ever U.S. short-track speed skating champion. However, upon returning home to Seattle, he returned to his former ways, and soon found himself overweight and under-trained. In the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, he finished last in the trials. He was devastated, and his coach doubted he would return to Lake Placid. His father, in a last ditch effort, drove his son to a remote cabin in Iron Springs, Washington, told him to think about speed-skating and what he would do with his life, and left him there for eight days (with sufficient provisions). Angry and confused, Ohno began running until blistered in the pouring rain. It was then that he realized that unless he straightened up, he would end up jail bound (or dead) like his friends. The realization began his commitment to skating and dominance in the sport.

Four years later, Ohno was the first American to be the overall World Cup champion during the 2000-01 season and qualified for the U.S. team in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

2002 Winter Olympics

Olympic qualification race controversy

In December 2001, Shani Davis traveled to Utah to race for a spot on the 2002 Winter Olympics short track team. Teammates Ohno and Rusty Smith already had slots on the six-man team due to points earned from earlier races, and Ron Biondo was a lock for the third spot. In order for Davis to qualify, he would have to actually win the final race. As both Ohno, Smith, and Biondo were also participating, Davis would have to beat the 3 best American skaters at the 1,000m. Since Ohno had been dominant in the meet to this point, winning every race he entered with ease, a win by Davis seemed to be a long shot. To complicate the event, if Biondo beat Smith in this race, he would have skated the event individually at the 2002 Winter Olympics. All three of the competitors were considered major favorites over Davis.

However, the 1,000m race would end with Ohno coming in third, Smith second and Davis at the top of the podium. In fact, prior to crossing the finish line himself, Ohno started celebrating for Davis and Smith. Davis's first place finish earned him enough points to move past Tommy O'Hare in the final point standings and to qualify for sixth place. By finishing second, Smith earned the opportunity to skate individually in the 1,000m. However, the victory celebration was short-lived, as rumors began to swirl that Ohno and Smith, both good friends of Davis's, intentionally threw the race so that Davis would win. After returning to Colorado Springs, O'Hare would file a formal complaint. The complaint was founded on Ohno's seemingly deliberate attempt to stop Biondo from being able to pass Smith. By effectively removing Biondo from the competition, Smith was safe to stay in second place and allow Davis to win. For three days, Ohno, Smith and Davis stood before an arbitration panel of the United States Olympic Committee. At no time during these events did anyone accuse Davis of being at fault because he skated the race to the best of his ability and given his strengths and used the appropriate strategy. O'Hare's claims went unproven in the arbitration case, and all three were absolved of guilt.

On February 13, 2002, Sports Illustrated writer Brian Cazeneuve published an article stating that, after reviewing the race, "To this day, there is no concrete proof that any skaters violated the spirit of competition. Cazeneuve would, however, also publish the comments of Outside Life Network commentator Todd Harris and 1998 Winter Olympian speed skater Eric Flaim, which were made during the broadcast of the race; both men agreed that Ohno and Smith hadn't skated at 100%.

The Games

In Salt Lake City, Utah, Ohno emerged as a popular athlete among US fans for reportedly charming them with his cheerful attitude and laid-back style. He became the face of short track speed skating in the US, which was a relatively new and unknown sport at the time, and carried the medal hopes of America in that sport. Ohno medaled in two events, although there was some controversy associated with the results.

In the 1000 m race, Ohno was leading the pack, however during a turn around the final corner, Ohno fell and slid across the ice, taking himself, fellow skater Ahn Hyun Soo, Mathieu Turcotte and Li Jiajun into the barriers. The single man standing was Steven Bradbury from Australia, who was trailing behind at the time, and skated through to win the gold medal, becoming the first person from the southern hemisphere to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics. Ohno quickly got to his feet and crossed the finish line to win silver.

In the 1500 m race, Ohno won the gold medal, with a time of 2:18.541. During the 1500 m final race, South Korean Kim Dong-Sung was first across the finish line, but was disqualified for blocking Ohno, in what is called cross tracking. Ohno was in second place with three laps remaining, and on his third attempt to pass on the final lap, Kim drifted slightly to the inside where Ohno raised his arms and came out of his crouch to signal that he was blocked. Fourth-place finisher of the same race, Fabio Carta of Italy, showed his disagreement with the decision saying that it was "absurd that the Korean was disqualified." China's Jiajun Li, who moved from bronze to silver, remained neutral saying: "I respect the decision of the referee, I'm not going to say any more." Steven Bradbury of Australia, the 1000 m gold medal winner, also shared his views: "Whether Dong-Sung moved across enough to be called for cross-tracking, I don't know, he obviously moved across a bit. It's the judge's interpretation. A lot of people will say it was right and a lot of people will say it's wrong. I've seen moves like that before that were not called. But I've seen them called too." The disqualification upset South Korean supporters, many of whom directed their anger at Ohno and the Olympic International Olympic Committee. A very large number of e-mails protesting the race results crashed the Olympic Committee's email server, and also thousands of accusatory letters, many of which were death threats, were sent to Ohno and the committee. Ohno shared his thoughts on the Koreans' hostile reaction by saying, "I was really bothered by it. I grew up around many Asian cultures, Korean one of them. A lot of my best friends were Korean growing up. I just didn't understand. Later on I realized that was built up by certain people and that was directed at me, negative energy from other things, not even resulting around the sport, but around politics, using me to stand on the pedestal as the anti-American sentiment.

After Salt Lake

Ohno continued to perform well in the sport after the 2002 Winter Games. Ohno declined to participate in a 2003 World Cup short track event in Korea for security reasons. However, despite the absence, he successfully defended his World Cup title during the 2003 season. He continued his dominance by winning the World Cup title again in the 2004 season.

At the first event of the 2005 World Cup event in China, Ohno severely sprained his ankle and withdrew from the event. At the second event in South Korea, an estimated 100 riot police stood guard at Incheon International Airport to prevent any harm from coming to Ohno stemming from fears of a lingering negative reaction from the 2002 Olympic Games disqualification controversy. Ohno won two gold medals, as well as the overall title at the meet despite suffering from a severe stomach illness, and was surprised when the Korean crowd cheered his victories, saying, "I was really happy with the crowd's reaction. It was pretty positive right from the time we landed. I was really happy it wasn't (hostile). Everything went really smooth. We were happy. However, Ohno was unable to defend his World Cup title reign from the previous three seasons, finishing third in the overall standings that year.

2006 Winter Olympics

In the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Ohno stumbled during a semifinal heat in the 1500 m. Finishing fifth, he was unable to defend his 2002 gold medal in the event. However, Ohno was able to win the bronze medal in the 1000 m, with Korean skaters Ahn Hyun Soo and Lee Ho-suk finishing before him.

After two false starts from other skaters, Ohno won gold in the 500 m when he took the lead with an explosive start and held it until the finish. Despite criticism that Ohno appeared to move before the start, a violation of the rules, the race start was validated by the officials, allowing Ohno to keep his gold.

On the same day as his 500 m gold win, Ohno earned a bronze medal in the men's 5000 m relay, with an inside pass on Italian skater Nicola Rodigari on the final leg to put the United States in third position. Later, during the medals ceremony for the event, the winning South Korean team and the Americans embraced, followed by a group picture featuring the medalists.

Post-Olympic hiatus and return

Taking a year off from competitive skating when the 2006 Winter Olympics ended, Ohno returned to win his eighth U.S. National Title, placing first in every event held during the U.S. Championships from February 23 to February 25, 2007.

From March 9 to March 11, 2007, he skated at the 2007 World Championships held in Milan, Italy, winning gold in the 1500 m due to the disqualification of Song Kyung-Taek, who had blocked a passing attempt made by Ohno. He also won bronze in the 1000 m, 3000 m, and the 5000 m relay with teammates, Jordan Malone, Travis Jayner, and Ryan Bedford. Because of his wins, he became the overall bronze medalist, behind medalists Charles Hamelin, who won silver, and Ahn Hyun Soo, who became the first man to be a five-time World Champion.

On December 24, 2007, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ohno won his ninth U.S. Senior Short-Track Speedskating Championships, finishing first in the 1000 m and the 1500 m. He also finished first in the 500 m, but was disqualified for crosstracking. In the 3000 m, Ohno finished second.

At the 2008 World Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, Ohno won his first World Championships overall title, placing first place in the 500 m, second in the 1000 m, and third place in the 3000 m. Ohno defeated South Koreans Lee Ho-Suk, silver medalist, and Song Kyung-Taek who finished third in points.

2010 Winter Olympics

Ohno announced on "Rick Dees in the Morning" on April 23, 2007, that he will be competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He had said previously that he was "leaning towards" trying for his third Olympics games, commenting, "I feel like I've been blessed with a gift... And if I'm still able, willing and healthy, then why would I throw that away?

Dancing with the Stars

On February 20, 2007, the ABC television network announced that Ohno would dance on the fourth season of the Dancing with the Stars reality show. He was paired with dancing partner Julianne Hough, and both appeared on the show for the first time on March 19, 2007. Ohno and Hough received the first perfect score of 30 of the competition for their samba on April 16, 2007.

In Week One, Ohno danced the Cha Cha Cha. By receiving a score of 21/30 (7,7,7), he placed third for the night. On Week two, Ohno danced the Quickstep, and was second, having a 26/30 (8,9,9). On Week three, Ohno danced a Jive routine consisting of a version of the Batusi (reminiscent of John Travolta and Uma Thurman’s dance in Pulp Fiction), and was second that night with a score of 23/30 (7,8,8). On Week five, Ohno danced the Samba, and came in first by getting a perfect score of 30/30. According to him, this was Hough's favorite dance, and he wanted to make it special for her by doing his best. On Week six, Ohno danced the Rumba, and was first with a 28/30 (9,9,10). On Week seven, Ohno danced the Foxtrot and Mambo. He received a score of 26/30 (9,8,9) on the foxtrot, and a 28/30 (9,9,10) on his Mambo.

On Week 8, On May 7, 2007, Ohno danced the Tango and Paso Doble. He got a 28/30 (10,8,10) on the Tango, and a 30/30 on his Paso Doble, putting him and Hough in first place. Controversy arose when the post-tango interviewer, Samantha Harris, announced that judge Carrie Ann Inaba had actually keyed a "9" score into her computer, but had mistakenly held up the "10" paddle. Therefore, she said, Ohno's actual score was 27. Judge Inaba insisted that she had keyed a "10" into her computer. During the commercial break, the producers and judges confirmed that Inaba's computer had erroneously recorded her "10" score as a "9." When this was corrected, Ohno's official score for the tango was recorded as a 28. On May 14, they had a 58 as a total score.

During the semifinals, he chose the Quickstep and Cha Cha Cha, because these were his first two dances that he had done in the competition. By doing these two dances, he intended to show his progression from the beginning of the competition. He received a 30 on the Quickstep, and a 29 on the Cha Cha Cha. In the Finals, the judges chose a Rumba for him, a he earned a score of 28. It was followed by a freestyle, which got him a 30, which took him from second place to first. On the day of the Results Show for the finals, Ohno and Hough had to do a previously choreographed dance. The couple chose their Paso Doble in which they had previously received a score of 30. This dance again received a score of 30, keeping the couple at the top spot.

Upon reaching the final round, alongside Laila Ali and Joey Fatone, Ohno and Hough performed a newly-choroegraphed rumba, a breakdancing/hip hop-esque freestyle dance, and their Paso Doble routine from earlier in the season, gaining a total score of 88 out of 90, the top spot on the judges' scoreboard. At the finale, falling on Ohno's twenty-fifth birthday, the pair received a perfect 30 on their reprise of their Paso Doble, and Ohno and Hough were named the winners of Dancing With the Stars Season 4.

Performance

Week #	Dance/Song	Judges' score			Result
Inaba	Goodman	Tonioli
1	Cha cha cha/ "Let's Hear It for the Boy"	7	7	7	Safe
2	Quickstep/ "Two Hearts"	8	9	9	Safe
3	Jive/ "You Never Can Tell"	7	8	8	Safe
4	Waltz/ "If You Don't Know Me By Now"	9	8	9	Safe
5	Samba/ "I Like to Move It"	10	10	10	Safe
6	Rumba/ "Cool"	9	9	10	Safe
7	Foxtrot/ "Steppin' Out With My Baby" Mambo/ "Dr. Beat"	9 9	8 9	9 10	Safe
8	Tango/ "Jessie's Girl" Paso Doble/ "Carnaval de Paris"	10 10	8 10	10 10	Safe
9 Semi-finals	Quickstep/ "Mr. Pinstripe Suit" Cha cha cha/ "Push It"	10 10	10 9	10 10	Last to be Called Safe
10 Finals	Rumba/ "Midnight Train to Georgia" Freestyle/ "Bust a Move" Paso Doble/ "Carnaval de Paris"	9 10 10	9 10 10	10 10 10	WON

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Personal life

Ohno and Shani Davis are best friends. For two years, Ohno dated speed skater Allison Baver, but the couple broke up in mid-2006.

Selected events

On April 26, 2007, Ohno was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame, an award given to "Asian Americans who have contributed to their heritage by breaking new ground or achieving excellence in their fields at both a national and international level.

Bibliography

• Ohno, Apolo Anton; Richardson, Nancy Ann. A Journey: the autobiography of Apolo Anton Ohno, New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002. ISBN 0689856083.
• Lang, Thomas. Going for the gold: Apolo Anton Ohno: Skating on the edge, New York: Avon Books, 2002. ISBN 006051843X (pbk).

References

External links

• Official Site
• Official U.S. Olympic Team Biography
• http://www.gotapolo.com/
• http://www.ohnozone.net/