At 5'8", Apolo is a god among mortals in the short track speed skating world.
Oh, he has his human side – like when he tried a risky pass during a heat at the Olympics, when a second place finish would have been good enough for him to advance. He ended up getting bumped from the final, losing his long-sought-after chance at another gold medal.
Fans don’t seem to mind a little arrogance. Overconfidence is a necessary evil in short track speed skating, a type of racing that is just as much a mental game as a physical one. Apolo learns the hard way from his mistakes, just as he’s learned to deal in a sportsmanlike manner with the low blows, elbows jabs and illegal nudging from the other competitors.
While he’s been spotted going round the oval in Calgary with his good friend, American long and short track skater Shani Davis, Colorado Springs is his official training grounds. It’s natural for Apolo to stay in the west; his birthplace and hometown is Seattle, Washington, where his father raised him. (Seattle's also the home of the original Starbucks.)
Maybe some of his speed can be attributed to growing up with the world’s best source of caffeine at hand. Apolo more than burst onto the short track speed skating scene. He claimed the US championship at the age of 14, making him the youngest to do so in his nation and only one year after he started racing on ice. At the age of 17, he was the youngest man ever to win a World Cup title. He won the World Junior Championships in 1999. He took the top spots in the 2000-2001 World Cup in every distance and overall. In 2002, he won seven of eight finals at the Olympic Trials. His 23 individual World Cup medals in 2005 weren’t bad either.
This phenom’s only 24 years old now, so there’s a lot more Americans can expect their short track star. This year is Shani’s first year on the short track circuit, so they might just push each other to the pinnacle of their sport.
Last year, Apolo finished third internationally in the overall rankings, behind Koreans Hyun-Soo Ahn and Ho-Suk Lee. In a pool of 76 world-class skaters, he’s at the top of his class. Can he break through the Korean strong-hold to first place overall? He actually beat the Koreans at two World Cups last year.
He added two silver medals to his collection at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in the 1500 & 1000m. He got a new gold medal necklace in Torino after the 500m.
Want to know more about Apolo’s impressive skating career accolades? Check out his bio on the US Olympic Team website. The site also lists interesting facts about our leading man. For example, he once won a state swimming championship in the breaststroke. Also on this site are photo galleries and Q&A sessions where Apolo answers questions about fame, training, and dreadlocks. Download Ohno wallpapers or join the US Olympic Fan Club. Enjoy video clips on the US Olympic Team site and also on NBColympics.com.
USOC Media Services cornered Apolo in September and asked him what he’s been doing since Torino. Catch the interview on his official website.
By the Way: This breakdancing Olympic champion is still single, much to the relief of young ladies around the globe.
