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Apolo ready for 2006 Olympics

BY JOHN JEANSONNE. STAFF WRITER // February 5, 2006

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Leading with his soul patch - "I haven't seen my chin in years," Apolo Anton Ohno said - America's best short-track speedskater is ready to pick up where he left off in Salt Lake City four years ago, when he experienced the thrill of victory, the frustration of a costly fall and the sting of criticism by Korean officials convinced that Ohno had unfairly taken their skater's gold medal.

In other words, a typical day in his sport.

Contested in packs, with hustling skaters tilted low in tight corners, dragging an inside hand on the ice and seeking the tiniest passing lane, short track is characterized by regular crashes, frequent disqualifications and thorough unpredictability.

"Sure," Ohno said, "that's the beauty of the sport. Sometimes the fastest, strongest, best skater just tactically gets beat." Or gets bowled over, perhaps legally. "For sure," Ohno said, "there are things you just can't prepare for. You just try to get as strong as possible, and you have to be ready up here [pointing to his head] more than anything."

In 2002, Ohno was favored to win the 1,000 meters and was leading into the final turn when China's Li Jiajun, attempting to pass outside Ohno, triggered a four-man accident that handed Australia's Steven Bradbury a startling upset.

Then Ohno won the 1,500 gold, but only after South Korean's Kim Dong-sung was disqualified for obstructing Ohno's attempted pass down the stretch. The International Olympic Committee and U.S. Olympic Committee immediately received more than 16,000 angry e-mails from Korean fans, and the bitterness lingered: At the 2002 soccer World Cup that summer in Korea, a South Korean goal against the United States produced a celebration mimicking a speedskater to recall the Kim DQ.

"It bothered me a lot then," Ohno said of the Koreans' anger. "I grew up around a lot of the Asian culture [in Seattle], with a lot of Korean friends." He was happy, he said, that he was treated as "just another athlete" when he competed in South Korea last year.

Now 23, Ohno paints his current daily routine as Spartan - living in the dorm-like setting of the U.S. Olympic Training Center and spending his time working out and relaxing quietly.

"I had been going to after-Oscar parties, mingling with the Hollywood crowds" right after the Salt Lake City Games, he said. "It's easy to become distracted. There's no way I'd turn that stuff down, but it's important for me to remember why I'm here and what my goals are.

"My room is a sleeping chamber, basically. I don't do much. My social life is cut to a minimum. I don't drink. My life is pretty boring. Hiking, barbeques and stuff."

Day 8 in Turin will provide Ohno's latest shot at the 1,000-meter gold.

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