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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
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:58:00 PM)
Yeah I'd think he'd notice his roots... he only explains that why he's so short is because he's partially asian! duh! but I went to see him in Milwaukee and when I found out he wasn't going I was really mad but I accept his decision to stay home if he knew he wasn't going to be able to skate well... instead I got to meet Rusty Smith.. which was just as good! so either way it worked out.
Jessica Wheeler
ilvrusty_n_apolo7982@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 16:36:05 (PDT)
Right- Federal Way is DEFINITELY a diverse city (I'm being sarcastic)
andie
Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 08:00:14 (PST)
I went to school with Apolo when we were young and we hung out with some of the same people until he left to go to the training camp when we were in 8th grade. He DID have a lot of white friends, but I doubt that was a conscious decision. We grew up in a very diverse city with a huge Asian population. It may have just been the things he was into and the scene we were into. To answer Michelle, he IS half white, but he hasnt seen his mom since he was a toddler.
Anyway people Im just glad he IS doing great out there and really achieving what he set out to do. (And we (back home) thought all that training camp stuff was just rumors... lol.) AND representing AA on top of it.
CornellChick253
Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 19:45:13 (PST)
Who cares about his ASIAN roots!! Lets just be happy that he lives in the U.S maybe and on the WEST coast!!!!!!
Pauline Makasini
hoopsie22@yahoo.com
Tuesday, March 26, 2002 at 10:50:34 (PST)
I think Apolo is A cutie!!!!! I realy hope he can come to san fran so I can meet him
TAyler
abcgumgurli88
Saturday, March 23, 2002 at 18:13:14 (PST)
I wonder why nobody ever talks about where his mom is. Apolo only looks half Asian. I'm sure his mom is white.
Michelle Soriano Johanssen
Saturday, March 23, 2002 at 09:30:05 (PST)
[i wonder if apolo even recognizes his asian roots??? in my opinion, i think not...]
apolobabe, WTF is this nonsense about Apolo not recognizing his Asian roots?
He was raised by a J-FOB since he was a toddler, for Ch##t's sake!!!
Jay... the angry hapa
Friday, March 22, 2002 at 20:17:03 (PST)
Just Wondering - -- - I saw it I DON'T LIKE IT! Thats my sad vote.
Sniff
Friday, March 22, 2002 at 06:51:08 (PST)
i wonder if apolo even recognizes his asian roots??? in my opinion, i think not...anyway...hello! Korea's history illustrates its spelling...its original spelling is with a "c" until the japanese invasion...whatever...apolo's a cutie...
apolobabe
Friday, March 22, 2002 at 00:44:01 (PST)
Okay someone spill the beans. What's this haircut rumor all about??
Ohnomaniac
Thursday, March 21, 2002 at 20:47:29 (PST)
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