Apolo Ohno

Apolo Anton Ohno ( May 22nd, 1982 in Seattle, Washington) is an American short track runner.

Career

Ohno is the son of Jerrie Lee and Japanese Yuki Ohno -born. His father, who owns a hair salon, separated when Apolo was still a child, by his wife and pulled him on alone. Apolo began at this time with the swimming, but also with inline speed skating, short track speed skating which brought him to.

At age 14 ( 1997), Apolo Ohno U.S. champion, he was the youngest, it had ever been, and so made ​​the jump to the national team. In 1998 he took part in the Olympic Games in Nagano and finished last. 2002 Salt Lake City Apolo Ohno, however, won the 1500 m race and therefore also his first Olympic gold medal. In the 1000 m race he was again able to win a medal, this time it was the silver.

But his gold medal caused much discussion. In the race it had come to jostle with the South Korean Kim Dong -sung. The Koreans went first across the finish line, but the judges disqualified him for obstruction. Apolo Ohno, the young local hero, got the gold medal. Since it is not possible in the short track speed skating to raise protest against a referee decision, felt South Korea, the leading nation in the short track speed skating, cheated.

In the 1000 m race Apolo Ohno led the group out of the last corner out of which stumbled after him lying Li Jiajun and ripped the entire field including Apolo Ohno to the ground. The only driver who has not been brought to fall was, Steven Bradbury, who was knocked down behind the field and so won the gold medal. Apolo Ohno slid across the finish line in second and won silver.

At the World Cup 2005 in Seoul Apolo Ohno to put the aufgeputschten fans. 5,000 spectators whistled, as Apolo Ohno stepped on the web. The conditions were unfavorable. The night before the race, he vomited several times as a result of a viral infection. About 500 m and 1500 m Apolo Ohno was disqualified. About 1000 m and 3000 m he won. Then Apolo Ohno collapsed weakened and had to be transported by ambulance from the stadium. His father later said: " The appearance in Korea has made the champion Apolo, more than the Olympics before."

Apolo Ohno became one of the United States of the most successful athletes. He was the first American to win the short track speed skating World Cup. Apolo Ohno won in the 2000/ 01 season and 2002/ 03 and 2004/05. Apolo Ohno won Moreover, nearly every U.S. Championships since 2001.

At the Olympic Games in Turin in 2006 Apolo Ohno came in the semifinals of 1500 m in an attempt to overtake the lie in the first position Chinese to case and not managed to reach the final. He was thus unable to defend his gold medal from 2002. In the B finals he finished third. In the 1000 m race Apolo Ohno reached the final and won his third Olympic medal total there. He won the bronze medal behind the two South Koreans Ahn Hyun -soo and Lee Ho -suk. About 500 m he won gold on the penultimate day of the Games.