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October 13, 2005
Olympic Trials Tickets Now on Sale
Just a reminder that tickets are now on sale for the 2006 U.S. Short Track Championships being held December 12-16 in Marquette. The official web site has all the info you need to plan your trip:
- Event Schedule (reminder: Wed. Dec. 14 is a rest day)
- Ticket Info
- Travel and lodging info
Posted by noelle at 4:55 PM | Comments (6)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Ohno stars in Seoul, on ice
Great article, lots more about Apolo's experiences in Korea as well as his participation in the Olympic Media Summit.
Apolo Anton Ohno had a dreadful weekend, and still came back from South Korea as a World Cup champion.
The Olympic gold medalist from Seattle was disqualified in races Friday and Saturday in Seoul, and was so ill Sunday he wasn't sure he would be able to race. Ohno did, winning the 1,000- and 3,000-meter events at the second World Cup event of the short-track speedskating season.
"We weren't ready for those first two World Cups, physically," Ohno said Wednesday, referring to an event in China earlier this month as well as the weekend races in Seoul. "But we've had some pretty good results out of them, so I think we're pretty close to being on track to where we need to be."
Ohno definitely is one of the faces of the U.S. team that will compete Feb. 10-26 in Turin, Italy. It has been difficult to turn around in this town this week without seeing his image -- and that trademark "soul patch" on his chin -- on posters and banners.
Wednesday, it was Ohno in the flesh that was seemingly everywhere.
Posted by noelle at 10:10 AM | Comments (7)
USOC predicts strong U.S. performance in Torino
Salt Lake Tribune | U.S. expects no drop-off in Torino
Historically, after a country hosts the Olympics it sees a steep drop-off in its athletes' medal haul at the next Games. In 2002, American athletes won 34 medals -- a record that more than doubled the previous top Winter Games medal tally for the USA (13 medals).
This time around, USOC officials aren't predicting the usual decrease for Torino. Most American medal-winners from 2002 are back and new depth has been added in numerous sports. In addition, USOC funding hasn't declined since 2002 as it has in years past.
Americans' performances in the most recent series of world championships or equivalent events suggest they will bring home upwards of 25 medals from Torino - a much bigger haul than anything before 2002.
The hidden statistic from the Salt Lake City Games is 75 top-eight finishes for U.S. athletes, illustrating depth beyond the medal winners.
Posted by noelle at 10:08 AM | Comments (2)
October 12, 2005
Apolo at the Olympic Media Summit
Apolo Anton Ohno, a short track speedskater who won gold in the 1500 meters at the 2002 Winter Olympics, talks to reporters at the conclusion of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005. The three day event gave the media the chance to interview and photograph athletes who will represent the United States in the 2006 Winter Games in Italy. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Posted by noelle at 9:58 PM | Comments (13)
Another post-Korea followup
It's getting hard to keep up with the media blitz. Here's another follow up article about Apolo's experiences in Korea. He expands on some of the remarks in yesterday's AP report, saying Sunday was his worst day health-wise, and Hyo-jung Kim adds her perspective on Koreans' sentiments towards Apolo.
AFP/Yahoo News | Ex-villain Ohno overjoyed with Korean cheers
Seoul-born US citizen Hyo-Jung Kim, a 16-year-old women's short track Olympic hopeful, was raised in South Korea until moving here to train two years ago. Kim said Koreans had been angry at Ohno in 2002 but have gotten over it.
"They were, but not any more," she said. "I think they're changing a lot. They are open minded. (But) I'm sure they are still not all fans."
Posted by noelle at 6:47 PM | Comments (3)
Apolo's anti-doping PSA
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's latest campaign "Celebrating the Value of Fair Play" was unveiled today at the Olympic Media Summit in Colorado Springs. The campaign inclues tv commercials and ads featuring Apolo and other Winter Olympians.
USADA chose Apolo's spot as the intro to their site at usantidoping.org. To see the whole thing as well as the other commercials, click here. You'll see movie theater ads and the tv spots are below them.
Todayonline.com | Olympians pitch "fair play" message in US anti-doping campaign
"I want young people to understand how important it is to respect your sport and compete with integrity," said Apolo Anton Ohno, the 2002 Winter Olympic 1,500-meter short track speedskating champion. It lets athletes around the world know the USA is passionate about competing clean in sports."
Ohno, of Japanese descent, said he believes there are dope cheats who have evaded detection in his sport but that the number is small.
"Unfortunately, that's a reality," Ohno said. "Athletes finding ways to get around something - that will always be there. It's diminishing. That number is getting smaller. For most athletes, I don't think it enters their mind."
Posted by noelle at 2:52 PM | Comments (8)
New Nike Swift suit
Funny some people were just asking about the new Olympic skinsuit. There is an article about that today from a Salt Lake TV news station:
KSL.com | New Speedskating Suits More Flexible, Safer
Apparently the new skinsuits were shown to the media yesterday at the Olympic Media Summit in Colorado Springs:
New technology is helping US athletes train more efficiently and improve their performance. This week 100 of the top US athletes are gathered in Colorado Springs for the Olympic media summit. Last night Nike a new swift suit [sic]. So what do the athletes think about them?
Rusty Smith, U.S. Short Track Speed Skater: "These suits are a lot different than 2002's suits. They have the cut proof panels in them, in all different places where you have different arteries. These suits are a lot more comfortable than Salt Lake ones. The Salt Lake ones had a real thick coating on them to make them fast. Because of that they were really hard for us to move in."
They quote a 'Chip Carpenter' - guess that's meant to be Kip! No photo or word on the design though. I agree with Kaylene - the minimalist midnight blue, while very slimming, doesn't really seem like the 'Olympic look.'
Posted by noelle at 9:32 AM | Comments (9)
October 11, 2005
Apolo gets a room makeover
Working with Dr. Mark Rosekind, a former NASA scientist and president of Alertness Solutions, Hilton will modify 160 resident athlete dorm rooms at the Colorado Springs U.S. Olympic Training Center to help increase the athletes' alertness and reaction time for peak performance.
For U.S. Olympic hopefuls, the benefit of the re-designed rooms is real. "It sounds simple, but getting the proper rest really does increase my confidence and abilities on and off the track," said Apolo Ohno, U.S. Olympic speedskater and Colorado Springs U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. "Rest and relaxation is a critical component to competing at your best. With the improvements that are being made to our living space, I'm excited to come home to a place designed to help my performance."
To alleviate athletes' anxiety about waking up on time, the hotels will also install the "world's easiest to set" alarm clock in each room.
I need one of those. I rely on wakeup calls because I can't figure out how to set the clocks in hotel rooms. :-P
Posted by noelle at 5:24 PM | Comments (9)
Hubba hubba
Marquette Mining Journal | USOEC athlete named Cosmopolitan hunk
Anthony Lobello, 21, a United States Olympic Education Center athlete, has been named one of 50 most eligible bachelors by Cosmopolitan Magazine.
"I thought it was a prank when I first heard about it," Lobello said. "I tried to keep it a secret because I didn't want my teammates giving me a bunch of flak all summer. They think it's a riot."
"It's a very strange thing. I'm assuming someone submitted a picture of me," he said. "I can't believe that any of my friends have taken credit for it."
Lobello is headed off to New York for a national media blitz. He - along with the other 49 selected bachelors - will appear on both "The Today Show" and "Live with Regis and Kelly" on Wednesday. There are other appearances in the afternoon and a magazine party at night.
Embrace it, Anthony -- you're a good-looking guy! Just ask that Apolo dude if you need any pointers for handling your new status!
Posted by noelle at 3:15 PM | Comments (5)
Associated Press | Ohno surprised by warm welcome in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea - Short track star Apolo Ohno of Seattle is happy the mood has changed in Seoul since his controversial Olympic win over a South Korean skater in 2002 earned him a barrage of hate mail.
"I wasn't sure what to expect, but we thought now it was time to come," he told The Associated Press following the weekend World Cup meet. "It turned out for the best. I've had a really good reception."
Ohno's win in the 1,000-meter final at Salt Lake City came at the expense of South Korean Kim Dong-sung, who was disqualified for impeding and surrendered the gold medal to his American rival.
Fears for his safety prompted Ohno to sit out a meet at a provincial city here in 2003, along with the rest of the U.S. team. Nerves remained frayed last week as he was greeted at Incheon airport by more than 100 security officials.
But while the heavily patriotic South Korean public were still upset that Ohno's gold medal came at Kim's expense, they seem to have come to terms with it.
"There was nothing hostile about the fans, they were just happy watching the races," said Ohno, who regained the world No. 1 ranking from local skater Ahn Hyun-soo on Sunday with golds in the 1,000 and 3,000 finals.
Ohno regretted being denied any opportunity to hold a news conference in Seoul last week to show people another side to his character, which he figures has been largely demonized in the local media.
"A lot of media was shut away. I'm not sure why," he said. Maybe "certain people wanted to keep that false image."
Posted by noelle at 12:51 PM | Comments (3)
October 10, 2005
Interview clip
Once more, we have a treat from our friend Starangel.
Click the photo to get to the interview page. On the interview page, click the Windows Media logo below the photo to launch the video. Click yes if prompted to install plugins and then video will play with brief remarks from Apolo as well as Ahn. Ahn says he feels sorry that he lost but he'll do better next time by studying the video from this weekends' races.
With the amount and quality of coverage we've been getting this weekend, I'm starting to think they should have every world cup in Korea!
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends.
Posted by noelle at 12:29 PM | Comments (12)
October 9, 2005
Seoul Day 3 video (Korean TV broadcast)
U.S. speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno reacts as he cross the finish line during the men 3000m final of the 2005-2006 ISU World Cup Short Track Championship in Seoul. Ohno won the gold medal with a time of 5:38.465.(AFP/Jung Yeon-Je)
Once again, thanks to Starangel, we have access to video of all 3 days of racing in Seoul! See the comments for instructions on accessing the video.
Tragically, they didn't include the 3000m in the footage but you can see Apolo's fabulous 1000m quarter, semi and final performances as well as the women's and men's relays.
Day 3 footage is about 55 minutes long. Here's a key to race highlights:
- Video starts with men's 1000m quarter finals
- Rusty Smith qtr final at 1:50
- Apolo Ohno qtr final at 8:22
- Women's semi finals at 15:59
- Men's semis at 22:50 (AAO in 1st semi)
- Men's final at ~34:50
- Men's relay final at ~45:20
Click the 'continue reading' link for 'spoilers' and screen shots from the video.
Quarter finals
Not a great start for Rusty - he's 4th off the line and unfortunately never really gets into it.
Apolo is 4th off the line but with 6 to go makes a sweeping outside pass to take the lead.
Semi finals
Women's semi #1 is a cool race - lots of talent. Nice to see Borodulina hold on to qualify behing Meng Wang for the semis. She celebrates as she crosses the line!
Apolo false starts. Crowd reacts. He glides around, hands on knees, to regain focus. The other skaters line up again. Bedard looks at the starter, then turns to his left and looks at Ohno with a 'Dude, what are you doing?' expression on his face -- the camera moves over to show that Apolo's hasn't straighted up, he's at the line but still has his hands on his knees and head down. Finally he straightens up for the start.
They get off to a clean start. With 7 to go, Apolo passes on the inside then falls back to 3rd. With 3 to go, Apolo decides to accelerate on the outside to get past the Oh. The crowd goes nuts... the two skaters are thisclose. Good move. Apolo tucks in behind Li and Oh has nowhere to go.
This 'Let's Go Canada' banner got lots of airtime!
Men's final
The men's 1000 final gets started. Big cheers for Lee, a huge roar as Ahn announced... some faint yelling for AAO too! Maybe a few Americans are in the stands.
Apolo steps to the line for the 1000m final
They're off... what a race this is... as the crowd chants, Apolo slips in front of Li for 2nd, then comes around Ahn on the outside with 5 to go. Ahn turns his head and watches Apolo coming. Screaming from the crowd. Li takes the lead back. Li and Ohno are in a great position once more, with the 2 Korean skaters behind them. With 2 to go, Apolo slips by Li on the inside to take back the lead and keep it for good. Sweet victory!
Li skates around the rink, slapping hands like he won the race! Old man still got it going on!
Women's relay final
Chinese women have taken a huge lead in the first third of the race. Odd to see the Koreans so far back in 3rd, and Canada last. Canada manages to move up to 2nd but Korea passes with about 5 to go. China's lead has gotten big enough that I can't tell just how big it is. When the camera is on China, the other teams are nowhere to be seen and vice versa. The gap is narrowing by the end... Whoa, Korea slips a bit. Close battle for 2nd, with Korea edging Canada.
Men's relay final
Rusty gets ready to lead off the relay for Team USA
We settle into 4th early on. High spirits among the spectators, who break out in song for the early part of the relay. The only change after 18 laps is Canada has taken over the lead from China. With 25 to go Korea gets the lead on an exchange. The crowd is loving it! Ooh, but Canada isn't giving an inch... and pulls ahead with 14 to go! Korea makes some kind of adjustment to its exchanges and skips when the other teams exchange, doing theirs a lap later. In a few strokes, Ahn Hyun-soo accelerates brilliantly past Canada to regain the lead. Team Korea isn't going to let the crowd leave disappointed! With 5 to go, China passes Canada to move into 2nd. Gosh, Kim Dong-sung sounds excited in the broadcast booth! He says 'Ahn Hyun-soo' a whole lot.
The Korean men get their gold and the Mokdong Ice Arena goes wild!
The victorious Korean men's relay team accepts the crowd's applause with a bow.
Posted by noelle at 8:11 PM | Comments (14)
The legend grows
Apolo won gold in an exhilarating 1000m final today in Seoul after being disqualified two days in a row, showing once again what a brilliant come-from-behind skater he is. Apolo started off in 4th and slowly picked his way forward, taking the lead with a lap to go. He also beat Ahn and Lee on their home ice which has to make it all sweeter. What an amazing champion! Congratulations Apolo! You did it -- one of the sweetest victories ever!
Its shades of his impressive comeback six months ago in Beijing at the World Championships -- and others before that.
And then -- Apolo did it all over again in the 3000 superfinal! He took control of that race and won it too, with a terrific burst of speed in the closing laps. His victory in the 3k means Apolo also snatches the overall title for World Cup #2 in the day's last race.
I don't have words to express how HUGE this performance is. But think about it -- ankle injury, riot police, angry fans, meddling reporters, two disqualifications and even a stomach bug -- and Apolo calmly puts it behind him and goes on to win the whole freakin' thing. WAY TO GO, OHNO!
Look at this thing of beauty:
1000m victory - Apolo wins, Jiajun Li 2nd, Hyun-soo Ahn 3rd, Ho-suk Lee 4th
3000m superfinal - Apolo wins ahead of Ahn and Lee
photo by Finishlynx
The photos really say it all.
Overall classification - men
1. Apolo Anton Ohno - USA (68)
2. Hyun-soo Ahn - KOR (68)
3. Ho-suk Lee - KOR (34)
4. Jiajun Li - CHN (29)
5. Mathieu Turcotte - CAN (26)
6. Jon Eley - GBR (11)
10. J.P. Kepka - USA
15. Rusty Smith - USA
Overall classification - women
1. Chun-sa Byun - KOR (63)
2. Evgenia Radanova - BUL (55)
3. Tatiana Borodulina - RUS (21)
4. Sun-yu Jin - KOR (13)
5. Nina Evteeva - RUS
6. Allison Baver - USA
7. Hyo-jung Kim - USA
Relays: Congrats to the U.S. men on making it to the relay final. So maybe they didn't get onto the podium, but right now we're making finals consistently, something that hasn't always been the case.
Right now the U.S. men are ranked 4th overall and the women are 7th (without the DQ in Seoul they'd be looking at possibly a higher ranking). Great momentum and right where we need to be, heading into the upcoming Olympic qualifiers at World Cups 3 and 4 next month in Europe!
top photo by REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won
Posted by noelle at 2:02 AM | Comments (31)
Seoul World Cup Day 3 news roundup
On Thursday afternoon, I had received an update on how Apolo and the U.S. team were faring in Korea. Though Apolo's ankle was markedly improved -- fortunately, faster than anyone anticipated -- a stomach bug was spreading quickly through the skaters' ranks. It affected Apolo as well as other members of the U.S. team (in addition to many other teams as well). As if one more thing needed to go wrong!
Not wanting OZ to provide fodder for yet more speculative AP headlines (and also not knowing exactly how sick anyone was) I opted to mention this in the chat only. Now that someone else has broken the news, here is the first press report:
Ohno's performance Sunday was made more meaningful after a U.S. speedskating team official told The Associated Press after the meet that the skater had been suffering from an intestinal virus for the past couple of days, AP reports.
Ohno returned to his hotel room shortly after his last race Sunday and was connected to a IV saline drip, the team's press attache said on condition of anonymity.
Also, from a security and comfort standpoint, everything has gone perfectly in Korea. The organizing committee kept their promise to Apolo that he wouldn't have to worry about his safety. Additional USOC support staff helped greatly with security, medical issues and media relations. The presence of coach Jimmy Jang and the father of Hyo-jung Kim, who with their local connections and knowledge were able to ensure the team had everything they needed, also provided great comfort. The only dissatisfactory aspect was the organizing committee's unwillingness for Apolo to hold a press conference.
***
More articles
[UPDATED]
US Speedskating | Ohno Clinches World Cup 2 Title
Much to the delight of millions of speed skating fans, all the hackneyed wordplay using Apolo Ohno’s last name (Oh Yes, Ohno!; Ohno, He Did it Again!) is once again making its round in headlines across the world Sunday after the U.S. Speedskating superstar clinched the World Cup 2 title.
"Apolo faced different challenges this weekend in Seoul and fought hard on the final day to win," U.S. Speedskating short track head coach Li Yan said to sum up Ohno’s World Cup 2 victory. "He controlled his races today and was aggressive, which made the difference."
Korea Times | Ohno Tops Overall Series
Ahn Hyun-soo failed to keep his dominance over archrival Apolo Anton Ohno of the United States at the final phase of the second meet of the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Seoul, Sunday.
With a last-day rally, Ohno, who was disqualified in the 500-meter and 1,500-meter events, took the first spot in the men's overall classification ahead of Ahn. Both had 68 points but Ohno had the advantage of winning the long-distance event.
Korea Times | Song Takes Bronze Medal in 500-Meter Final at World Cup
Jiajun Li and Eric Bedard stayed ahead from the beginning, with Song struggling to catch-up despite a tremendous effort in the final lap.
However, the race lacked the spark of enthusiasm as Song’s compatriots Ahn Hyun-soo and Lee Ho-suk along with Apolo Anton Ohno of the United States and China’s Li Jiajun were absent after they were disqualified for fouls in the quarter-final and semi-final.
Posted by noelle at 2:01 AM | Comments (6)
Day 3 news photos
Podium
Li JiaJun of China, Apolo Anton Ohno of U.S and Ahn Hyun-soo of South Korea pose during an awarding ceremony after the men's 1,000m final of the second meet of the World Cup Short Track speedskating tournament in Seoul October 9, 2005. Ohno won the first place with a time of 1:27.452, Li took the second with 1:27.646 and Ahn took the third with 1:27.833 at the event. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won
3000m superfinal
Apolo Anton Ohno of U.S., Ahn Hyun-soo and Lee Ho-suk of South Korea compete during the men's 3,000m final of the second meet of the World Cup Short Track speedskating tournament in Seoul October 9, 2005. Ohno won the first place with a time of 5:38.465, and Ahn took the second with 5:38.708 and Lee took the third with 5:38.782 at the event. REUTERS/You Sung-Ho
1000m 1000m final
Posted by noelle at 2:00 AM
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US Speedskating | U.S. Men's Relay Team Makes Fantastic Recovery We saw the U.S. men run into some difficulty in yesterday's relay semifinal after getting off to a smooth start. Here's what happened: Nice job on the recovery, guys! And Derrick Campbell on the nature of the 500m after Apolo and Rusty were both disqualified yesterday, and J.P. didn't make it out of heats:
Posted by noelle at 1:08 AM
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Li Jiajun of China and Apolo Anton Ohno of the U.S. react after the men's 1000m final event at the 2005/2006 World Cup short track speed skating in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005. Ohno won the race with a time of 1:27.452. Li was second place. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)
Apolo Anton Ohno of the U.S, Li Jiajun of China, Ahn Hyun-soo and Lee Ho-suk of South Korea (front to back) compete at the men's 1,000m final of the second meet of the World Cup Short Track speedskating tournament in Seoul October 9, 2005. Ohno won the first place with a time of 1 minute and 27.452 seconds, Li took the second with 1 minute and 27.646 seconds and Ahn took the third with 1 minute and 27.833 seconds at the event. REUTERS/Lee Jae-WonMore on Seoul Day 2
The U.S. men experienced a scary moment in the last half of the race when the team went down after positioning itself in a safe second place behind the Koreans. The Japanese team took over second as the U.S. team recovered. Working together and fighting hard to the finish, the U.S. men regained second place with one lap to go and skated a time of 7:01.457.
"Our guys fought hard today and showed that they could recover from a fall and still qualify," U.S. Speedskating short track head coach Li Yan said. "They worked together and never gave up, which is why we came back to qualify for the final."
"To be a successful 500 meter skater, you need a very strong start, world class speed, and excellent racing skills." Explaining the difficulty the U.S. men experienced, Campbell stated, "In the 500 meters at the highest level of international competition the skaters have very polished racing skills and are tough to pass once in qualifying position."