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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Apolo Ohno: Next Asian American Olympic Hero?
e's the U.S. athlete most likely to lead the medal count at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, with an even chance of winning gold in all four short track speedskating events. What's more, the 19-year-old half-Japanese kid comes with a backstory that's sure to add cache and even a dab of poignance to his achievement.
Apolo Anton Ohno exploded onto the speedskating scene at the absurd age of 14 when he became the U.S. national men's speedskating champion. In 1999 and 2000 he came in first overall in the World Cups in China and Canada. He lost last year's World Championship to South Corean Kim Dong-Sung, but came right back to set a new world short-track record of 2 minutes, 13.728 seconds in the 1,500-meter in December's U.S. Olympic trials.
At those same trials Ohno became caught in a scandal that may only add badboy cache to his Olympic exploits -- he was accused of deliberately coming in third in the 1,000-meter race in order to ensure an Olympic berth for close buddy Shani Davis, the first Black to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Team. Davis's win bumped 1998 Olympian Tommy O'Hare off the team. O'Hare filed a complaint with the U.S. Olympic Committee. The arbitrator bought Ohno's story that, having racked up more than enough points to qualify for all four short-track events, he had simply decided to play it safe. But the suspicion lingers that Ohno had rigged a race to help a buddy, especially when it finds support in the testimony of two skeptical referees and of three other teammates who heard Ohno and Davis rigging the race.
Then there's the poignance.
Apolo Ohno was raised entirely by father Yuki who had immigrated alone from Tokyo at the age of 18. Yuki dropped out of accounting studies at Seattle City College in favor of the less cerebral profession of cosmetology. He opened his own Seattle beauty salon and enjoyed enough success to party hearty with other young hairdressers. He was 36 before marrying Apolo's mother. The marriage ended within a year, putting Yuki in the unfamiliar position of having to provide mothering and a stable home for his infant son. To make ends meet Yuki had to moonlight at a second salon. That left many unsupervised hours for Apolo. His after-school mischief with friends became worrisome. Yuki got him involved in swimming and in-line skating, then after watching a short-track race from the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games, he hooked Apolo up with the sport in which he would make his mark. He was so surprisingly good, in fact, that father and son set their sights on qualifying for the 1998 Nagano games. The combination of pressure and inexperience proved too much. In the Olympic trials Apolo came in 16th out of 16 hopefuls and failed to make the team. For some time his ultimate comeback was doubtful, then painful, but ultimately successful beyond the Ohnos' wildest expectations.
And now Apolo Anton Ohno twinkles as the pole star in the U.S. quest for a record-setting 20 medals in Salt Lake City. Those bright metal tokens won't come easy. Ohno must pit cunning, muscle and heart against better seasoned Corean and Chinese foes in the 500-meter, 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter individual races, then pull the team in the 5,000-meter relay. Ohno's spandex may not throw off the glamour of Michele Kwan's ice dresses but this February millions of new aficianados will likely thrill to the wicked glint of steel slashing in switchblade duels on the unforgiving short track.
Will Apolo Ohno leave Salt Lake City as the next American Olympic hero? Or has he already disqualified himself with his badboy image?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 04:38:55 AM)
Yes they are calling Apolo Ohno the "teen angel" of short track. Yes, he is one fine looking male, but aside the drool, he's a real role model for everyone everywhere no matter what you do in life. He appreciated his winnings even when they weren't gold, knowing he did his best and hell, a medal at the olympics? That's a lot to say. Where so many people were complaining and disappointed about silver, Apolo was all "hell yeah" about it. Try your best and appreciate what you have. Lesson from Apolo, the man.
I respect a good heart... and being damned hot doesn't hurt.
The Pixellated Fool
pixel_fool@megatokyo.org
Sunday, February 24, 2002 at 00:34:08 (PST)
apolo is the hottest guy ever. i am sooo in love with him. o yes. to answer you question *new spectator* apolo is half japanese and half american. he's hot huh? i love you apolo!
i love apolo!
Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 23:52:20 (PST)
Apolo is awesome! He's extremely talented, he is so confidant, and he's a model athelete, not to mention how amazingly good-looking he is! He's most definitely the coolest participant of the short track events! Apolo, never quit being as great as you are! Much love!
Kristin
Imagine5
Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 21:56:55 (PST)
okay people.. did anyone actually See what happened with their own eyes???? grrr. I WAS THERE. I'm actually in Salt Lake now, and I've seen the hundreds of re-broadcasts and re-showings of exactly what did happen on the ice when ohno and kim were skating.
I makes me furious, even though I'm not Korean, to watch oHno's hands fly up, trying to alert judges, Even tho there was nothing there that kim did.
What makes it even worse is that less than 3 minutes after the race ended, the judges had already made their decision and had turned in their ballots. To make decisions such as that, I thought that the Olympics' judges would rationally sit down and watch re-runs, taping from all sides of the arena..etc.etc.,
THEN, make their decision. c'mon this is the Gold Medal in THE Olympics.
What a disgrace. It makes me wonder if the Olympics were not held in the U.s., and Ohno was not a U.S. contender... would the same outcome still occur?
I'm furious.
Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 12:08:15 (PST)
what you folks don't seem to realize is that Ohno is the biggest cheat in these games. I admit as a Korean-American I should be cheering him instead of Kim but there is no way I'm going to support someone who uses his cunning to change the outcome of a legit race.
P.Oed like the rest of world
Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 09:00:57 (PST)
1,500mm final
The main judgement who is Austrailian said about the reason of Kim Dong Sung's disqualifiacation was his "Two Step".
Two Step means to skate two steps in a row that because of the next follower can't see the previous person's action it's foul. But Kim Dong Sung didn't he just run normally and didn't prevent ohno from his running. If you have eyes you can see he didn't and the main judgement's words are wrong and he kept changed his words he knew he made a mistake finally he denied saying that words later. How ridiculous I don't exact reason why he was disqualified. And ohno overacted up.
oh no!
Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 05:30:12 (PST)
im not korean but seriously i feel bad for korea i truly beleive korea was cheated out of that medal, it is truly unfair to crush a persons dream over something so trivial, its very sad, i feel so bad for korea.
ms T
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 18:32:09 (PST)
The Korean was robbed. But who cares, America rules and Asia sucks.
Uncle Sam
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 16:49:33 (PST)
A beautiful man........and even better skater! I love you Apolo......
Cat
slvrtwist5@aol.com
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 16:30:00 (PST)
If anyone else is disqualified it should be the Italian skater who suggested they "use a riffle" to take care of Apolo.
nO Name
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 16:20:34 (PST)
i think Apolo is a great skater and he deserves everything that he has gotten and i was very pleased to hear that he was single! even though i'm 15 but whats 4 years difference?
Ashley
doobey10@hotmail.com
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 15:49:22 (PST)
Totally the hottest Olympian and the best speed skater around! Yumm :o) Apolo is the man!!!
Jennybean
MansonLuvr6969@hotmail.com
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 15:30:37 (PST)
Everyone, including Ohno fans, read this w/ an UNBIASED mind and tell me if Ohno deserves a gold medal.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/712859.asp
That NBC commentator knows what he's talking about, unlike most of us nationalistic Americans who STRONGLY believe Ohno's the true gold medalist.
Reprat: Rule 292: ... responsibility for any obstruction or collision shall be upon the skater overtaking.
Take care,
jjk
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 14:33:35 (PST)
Apolo Anton Ohno is so bloody hot!!!!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
HE'S ALL MINE SO BaCK OFf GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!
hehee.......
Apolo-Anton Ohno lover.....
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 13:47:03 (PST)
Apolo fans,
Not to make enemies or anything, but you've got accept the fact this guy's a friggin crybaby loser (and a good actor).
OK, when you comepete in sports, you do your best and let the judges decide, not throw up your arms and make weird faces to SHOW (or fake) the judges that you've been "pushed."
You know in soccer, lots of players fake injuries and Ohno was exactly like one of them. And that's a shame.
This time I will back off on the DQ issue but next time when I see Ohno act retarded like that again, I will be seriously pissed off.
jjk
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 13:05:25 (PST)
Dilemation,
Relax is just a sporting event. Your choice on who to support is not going to effect your status as an American citizen. It isn't like the Japanese interment camps of WWII you know.
Just pick one you like and support him. American like people that are of "stand-up" character. Or the ability to offer un-waivering reasonable support in a complicated situation.
AC Dropout
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 13:04:13 (PST)
maybe the korean people who express disgust about how ohno received the gold did not do so in the name of patriotism but rather in the name of justice.
many people characterize what he did out there as a "hollywood stunt". what good is having a gold medal if that's the way you have to win it?
penelope
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 12:31:14 (PST)
I think Apolo Ohno is awesome! He's a young man doing something constructive. He's incredibly handsome and courageous. I myself am of Japanese and African-American descent. It makes me feel even better about my ethnicity to know I'm not alone. I think Apolo and I should hook up sometime.
Aiko
Friday, February 22, 2002 at 11:07:31 (PST)
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