Ohno grabs a silver in tough 1500 meter race
USA's Apolo Anton Ohno holds up six fingers, the number of Olympic medals he has won, after winning silver in the men's 1500m finals short track skating competition. (February 13, 2010) Credit: AP
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Apolo Anton Ohno won the silver medal in the short-track 1,500-meter speedskating final, tying Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian.
Lee Jung-su of South Korea won the gold medal last night. Ohno finished second after Korean teammates Sung Si-bak and Lee Ho-suk took each other out on the final turn. American J.R. Celski earned the bronze.
Ohno has won six medals in three Olympics, the most of any short-track skater.
Ohno already had five medals from Salt Lake City and Turin. Ohno will have three more events in the next 2 1/2 weeks in these Winter Games to zip right on past Bonnie Blair, who won five golds and a bronze over her three Olympics.
Ohno now has two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals.
"I am ready. No regrets, no fears, no hesitation," he tweeted after an hourlong workout Friday. "Enjoying every minute. I'll give my all for USA. And smile every step of the way."
He flashed a smile for reporters Friday but didn't take time to stop. He's had his game face on.
"Apolo is such a great example for everyone, whether you're an athlete or a student or a businessman because he just has this amazing drive," teammate Katherine Reutter said. "He will not give up. He will do everything to his best and his fullest. That's why he's a champion. Whether he gets one more medal or not - and I think he will - he'll always be a champion and a legend in our sport."
While the 27-year-old Ohno is the oldest member of the U.S. short-track team and finds himself competing against teenagers, he's still on top of his game. He's a medal contender in all four events, ready to go up against stiff competition from Canada's Charles Hamelin and the powerful South Korean team.
"This year, he's way better than any other year," said U.S. coach Jimmy Jang, a close friend of Ohno off the ice. "His condition is perfect now."
Not that he's the same skater. After the Turin Games, Ohno took some time off - including a winning stint on "Dancing With the Stars" - then set out to completely alter his style of skating with help from Jang. It was difficult to pull off, persuading the body to do things it wasn't accustomed to doing, but Jang said it was a necessary step to keep up with mostly younger skaters.
"We changed everything for technique and body weight," Jang said. "He was a power skater before. Now he's a technical skater."
