| From stumbles to victory, Apolo Ohno emerged | | | | Ohno got off to a rocky start in the 2006 |
| as one of America's first and greatest | | | | Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, stumbling |
| Olympic speed skaters | | | | during a semifinal heat. He finished last in |
| | | | the 1500 meter, but went on to win the bronze |
| Apolo Anton Ohno was born on May 22, 1982 in | | | | medal in the 1000 meter, a gold in the 500 |
| Seattle, Washington. His father, Yuki Ohno, | | | | meter, and another bronze in the men's 5000 |
| was a Japanese-American and his mother, | | | | meter relay. |
| Jerrie Lee, was a white American. They | | | | |
| divorced when Ohno was still a baby and he | | | | So far in 2007, Ohno won his 8th U.S. |
| was raised by his father. | | | | National title in February, placing first in |
| | | | every event. During the World Championship in |
| Ohno's father was concerned with his son's | | | | March, he won a gold and two bronze medals. |
| unsupervised time and got him involved in | | | | On April 23, he announced that he will be |
| competitive swimming and in-line skating, | | | | competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in |
| both of which he excelled at. Ohno became | | | | Vancouver, British Columbia. |
| interested in short track ice skating after | | | | |
| seeing the sport on television. When he was | | | | On a personal level, Ohno was inducted into |
| 14 years old, his father sent him to the Lake | | | | the Asian-American Hall of Fame on April 26, |
| Placid Olympic Training Center to train | | | | 2007. This honor is given to Asian-Americans |
| full-time. After training for just six | | | | who have contributed to their heritage by |
| months, he claimed his first overall title at | | | | breaking new ground or achieving excellence |
| the U.S. Championships. | | | | in their field at both a national and |
| | | | international level. |
| In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Ohno | | | | |
| finished last in the trials, but went on to | | | | 2007 also saw Ohno as a contestant on ABC's |
| become the first American to be the overall | | | | popular Dancing with the Stars. He and his |
| World Cup champion during the 2000-01 season. | | | | partner, Julianne Hough, received the first |
| Four years later, he qualified for the U.S. | | | | perfect score of 30 for their samba on the |
| team in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. | | | | April 16th show. Ohno and his partner |
| Ohno quickly emerged as a popular athlete | | | | eventually reached the show's final round, |
| among U.S. fans for his cheerful attitude and | | | | alongside Laila Ali and Joey Fatone. Ohno and |
| casual style. He became the face of short | | | | Julianne were named the season 4 winners on |
| track speed skating in the U.S., which was a | | | | May 22, Ohno's 25th birthday. For some other |
| relatively new sport at the time. Ohno earned | | | | great biographies see: free online calendars, |
| two medals during the 2002 games, a gold and | | | | free 2008 calendars and free meeting |
| a silver. The gold medal was won after the | | | | templates. |
| leader, Kim Dong-Sung from South Korea, was | | | | |
| disqualified for blocking Ohno. This decision | | | | Born: May 22, 1982 |
| resulted in a hailstorm of negative | | | | |
| statements and even death threats from South | | | | Died: -- |
| Korean fans. | | | | |
| | | | Famous For: American short track speed |
| Ohno decided not to participate in the 2003 | | | | skater. |
| World Cup short track event in Korea for | | | | |
| security reasons stemming from the 2002 | | | | Key Accomplishments: Five-time Olympic |
| Olympic games. He did, however, go to South | | | | medalist; Reigning U.S. short track champion |
| Korea for the 2005 World Cup meet, where he | | | | since 2001; Holds eight U.S. men's titles; |
| won two gold medals, as well as the overall | | | | Youngest American to win a World Cup Event |
| title. | | | | (at age 17). |
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