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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
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:58:01 PM)
Does anyone know where to get Apolo's girlfriend's picture?? I'd really like to see how she looks like.
Vinci
Sweet_Mystique_Princess@hotmail.com
Monday, March 04, 2002 at 16:36:14 (PST)
okay, okay...enough with all the "i heart apolo" postings. Don't get me wrong here: I cheered for him during the Olympics and I think he earned his medals...but all the gushing messages on this board makes me wonder sometimes whether I've accidentally logged onto the Seventeen Magazine website!
SAC
Monday, March 04, 2002 at 13:36:14 (PST)
Hey wharton boy! If you know Apolo, you can call him or something!
Vinci
Sweet_Mystique_Princess@hotmail.com
Monday, March 04, 2002 at 12:58:32 (PST)
yeah, does anyone know apolo's email? he went to junior high with me and we even ate at the same lunch table. it's been like 6 years since i've even seen him and i'd like to drop him a line.
wharton boy
Sunday, March 03, 2002 at 18:48:18 (PST)
Apolo really showed what being an Olympian is. It doesn't always matter if you win or lose it's all about if you feel that you did the best that you could!! He really got me to watch short track!! I love his eyes and that beautiful smile! I just hope that more shor track events will come back to Salt Lake!
Brandy
warriorgirl08@juno.com
Sunday, March 03, 2002 at 14:28:21 (PST)
Apolo is a greatkid I hope. Just from what I've seen of him on the television and what I have read about him
He brought attention to a sport people cared less about than curling.
Short track speed skating is great fun to watch. It has a large amount of strategy and speed to it.
I love the wnter Olympics and I cannot wait til the 2006 games--I dont know if I can even wait that long.
I have feeling we will be seeing a lot of Apolo until then--so girls, dont flip out...
Colleen
cbsmith143@aol.com
Sunday, March 03, 2002 at 07:59:52 (PST)
I've never heard of short track speed skating before, but I turned on the tv once during the olympics, and saw this really hot guy in one of those pushing relays (it was Apolo). I learned his name later and saw close ups of his face - he's sooooo cute!!! I'm really good at track and running and stuff, but I'm willing to change my sprinting into speed skating to meet him someday. And I'm, like, 5 years younger than him!
**I think it's his hair that brings everything together. I saw a picture of him with short hair, and he wasn't as cute. I hope he always has long hair!
**Oh yeah, his butt is really nice too.
lindsay
Sunday, March 03, 2002 at 05:36:41 (PST)
this olympics was obviously rigged.
despite the high expectactions the american nation had on Ohno, coming on 2nd, he did not want to embarrase the nation. with the judges, he made false acusations and rigged the tournament. i think the Korean athlete was unmistakably cheated on.
michael johnson
Saturday, March 02, 2002 at 23:50:22 (PST)
19 years old, two Olympic medals...need I say more? He's obviously worked damn hard. I admire anyone with that kind of ambition and drive. All I have to say is good job and good luck in the future Apolo.
Jennifer Moy
BLUE_EYEZ_79602@yahoo.com
Saturday, March 02, 2002 at 22:45:03 (PST)
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