Apolo Ohno American speed skater Date of Birth: 22.05.1982 Country: USA

Biography of Apollo Ohno

Apollo Ohno is an American short track speed skater and a multiple champion of the Winter Olympic Games. He began his career in short track in 1995, and by 1997, he had already claimed first place in a World Cup stage. In 1998, he participated in the Olympic Games in Nagano but did not progress beyond the qualifying rounds.

Since the 2000/2001 season, Ohno has consistently been among the leaders of the global short track community. In that season, as well as in the 2002/2003 and 2004/2005 seasons, he became the winner of the World Cup overall standings. In the 2000/2001 season, he also secured first place in the World Cup standings for all three main disciplines (500 meters, 1000 meters, and 1500 meters). At the World Championships in short track, Ohno finished in second place overall twice (in 2001, in Chuncheon, and in 2005, in Beijing).

Ohno is also a seven-time U.S. champion in short track, holding this title since 2001, without any challengers. Lady Luck was on Ohno's side at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, where he won the 1500 meters race and came second in the 1000 meters race. Ohno's gold medal caused controversy: in the final race of the 1500 meters, Ohno finished second, but his Korean opponent, Kim Dong-Sung, was disqualified for interfering with Ohno's trajectory. Many, especially in Korea, believed that Ohno had staged Kim's violation. This was likely fueled by the anti-Japanese sentiment that still lingers in Korea due to historical tensions from World War II.

Before the 2003 World Championships in short track, held in Korea, Ohno received death threats and ultimately decided not to participate in the championship. However, in 2005, Ohno finally competed in a World Cup stage in Seoul and won two gold medals. The security for Ohno at the airport consisted of a team of 100 police officers.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Ohno became the champion in the 500 meters race and took third place in the 1000 meters race. Additionally, thanks to his contributions, the United States team won a bronze medal in the relay.