Ohno DQ'd 500 meters, wins bronze in relay

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Apolo Anton Ohno threw up his arms in a what-can-I-do gesture and smiled.

The American short-track speedskater had just been disqualified in the 500 meters, but he wasn't leaving the Vancouver Olympics empty-handed Friday night.

Ohno returned later and anchored the United States to a bronze-medal finish in the chaotic 5,000 relay, giving him his eighth career medal.

It was Ohno's third medal of these games, to go with a silver and another bronze that made him America's most decorated Winter Olympian. He already has the most short-track medals of any skater.

The 45-lap relay ended a wild final night of short track, marked by crashes, disqualifications and capricious skating.

It also might have been the final Olympic race of Ohno's stellar career.

He is contemplating retirement, although U.S. coach Jimmy Jang is hoping to convince the 27-year-old skater from Seattle to compete in a fourth Olympics in 2014.

Ohno skated the final two laps of the U.S. relay, sticking out his left skate at the finish before getting edged by South Korea's Kwak Yoon-gy. Canada won the gold and South Korea earned the silver.

The medal salvaged the night for Ohno after he was disqualified in the 500, apparently for causing a crash in the final turn. He crossed the finish line behind Canada's Charles Hamelin,

Ohno was in last place when he tried to go inside of Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay to move up on the final turn. The American's right leg appeared to hit Tremblay and he went crashing into the padding. South Korea's Sung Si-bak also went down, although it appeared he lost his balance.

After several minutes of discussion, during which Ohno skated calmly around the ice, the referees DQ'd him.

"I don't know why they disqualified me," Ohno told NBC right after the race. "I don't agree with it. I was in fourth place."

Hamelin won the gold. Sung won silver and Tremblay took the bronze.