// BEGIN editorial data var i = 0; var spt_oly_apolo_profile = new Array(); spt_oly_apolo_profile.ID = "spt_oly_apolo_profile"; spt_oly_apolo_profile.ID_WB = 10399810; spt_oly_apolo_profile.sPubDate = "3/13/2006 10:50:10 PM GMT"; spt_oly_apolo_profile.navsectionID = "3032874" spt_oly_apolo_profile.appFmt = 2; spt_oly_apolo_profile.itemsPerPage = 1; spt_oly_apolo_profile.appWidth = 624; spt_oly_apolo_profile.appHeader = ""; spt_oly_apolo_profile.sTitle = "Spotlight on: Apolo Anton Ohno"; spt_oly_apolo_profile.appFooter = "Source: Josh Dumond/ MSNBC"; spt_oly_apolo_profile.appNavStyle = 3; spt_oly_apolo_profile.nLinkCols = 1; spt_oly_apolo_profile.bDhtml = 0; spt_oly_apolo_profile.appLayout = 3; spt_oly_apolo_profile.copyWidth = 500; spt_oly_apolo_profile.copyMargin = 9; spt_oly_apolo_profile[i++] = new Array("","Introduction","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/z_Projects_in_progress/oly_bio_apps/ohno_intro.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Kevork Djansezian", "AP", "94", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_oly_apolo_profile[i-1].body = "Most speedskaters who fall during competition have a rough time finishing a race, let alone finishing in the top three. Not Apolo Anton Ohno. The Seattle native got up after taking a spill and skated to a silver medal in the 1,000 meters at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. Oh yeah, he also won gold in the 1,500 meters. The big question: Can Ohno top himself by winning gold medals in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters in Turin?"; spt_oly_apolo_profile[i++] = new Array("","Development","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_oly_apolo_profile[i-1].body = "
Ohno was born on May 22, 1982 in Seattle, Washington. While living with his dad, Yuki, he took up at rollerblading and started winning consistently. It wasn't until 1994 that Ohno discovered short track speedskating while watching the Olympics. He would soon make the transition from inline to short track and win three age-group championships. In 1995 Ohno was invited to train at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York although he was two years underage.
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1997 — Ohno wins U.S. short track championships


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Despite winning the 1997 U.S. short track speedskating championships at the age of 15, Ohno was inconsistent. Just when everyone thought Ohno would be a shoe-in to compete at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, he finished dead last at the trials. It became apparent that Ohno's weight was hindering his ability to win races as he had the highest body fat percentage on the U.S. team.

Disappointed, Ohno prided himself in making the 2002 U.S. Olympic team. He was well on his way by the middle of the 2000-01 season as he established himself as one of the world's best skaters. Ohno won the World Cup title in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m on his way to winning the overall championship."; spt_oly_apolo_profile[i++] = new Array("","Defining moment","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/z_Projects_in_progress/oly_bio_apps/ohno_defining.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Jerry Lampen", "REUTERS", "102", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); spt_oly_apolo_profile[i-1].body = "
2002 — Ohno wins gold in the 1,500 meters and silver in the 1,000 meters at the Olympics in Salt Lake City."; spt_oly_apolo_profile[i++] = new Array("","Turin outlook","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_oly_apolo_profile[i-1].body = "
Ohno will face his toughest competition from South Korean Ahn Hyun-Soo. Yes, Hyun-Soo is good enough to beat Ohno; he did that already on the World Cup circuit this season. The the biggest story, however, is that Ahn is South Korean. Why? At the 2002 Games Ohno fell in the 1,500 meters and finished second behind South Korean Kim Dong-sung, but officials ruled that Kim made an illegal blocking move and awarded the gold medal to Ohno.

The South Koreans were outraged and protested that Kim did nothing wrong and that he should be given the gold medal. South Korea threatened to skip the closing ceremonies and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Ohno began to receive threatening emails and did not return to South Korea until October 2005 with 100 riot police officers standing guard to protect him.

The South Koreans have been waiting for four years for another shot at Olympic gold. Ohno will be standing in the way again, and will look to take the top prize in both the 1,000 and 1,500 meters.


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  • Earned a state championship as a swimmer in the breaststroke
  • His unique first name was given to him by his father, who combined the Greek words \"Apo,\" meaning \"away,\" and \"lo,\" meaning \"look out\"


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    Ohno on short track: \"One guy wins and one guy loses, but it's not entirely up to him, ... Our sport is so crazy that on any given Sunday, anybody can win. You can run the same race over and over five times, and you'll probably get five different winners. It's wild.\"


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    Past Olympic finishes
    2002 — Gold (1,500 meters), Silver (1,000 meters)

    Other notable accomplishments

  • Three-time World Cup all-around champion (2001, 2003, 2005)
  • Seven-time U.S. all-around champion (1997, 1999, 2000-2005)
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