Early Life and Olympic Training
At 13 years old, Apolo Anton Ohno was the youngest athlete to join the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center’s residency program. But it would be a few more years until Ohno would break through and emerge as an elite athlete.
Rise of Apolo Ohno in Short Track Speedskating
By the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Ohno had become serious about his training and had the results to prove it, winning national titles and Olympic team trials, comfortably skating at every length in short-track speedskating.
“Skating as well as I am — that’s special,” Apolo said in the run-up to the Salt Lake City Winter Games. “To be able to come out of that mess as I did is special. To be able to improve my relations with my dad is special. I’m happy with the way my life’s going, the way I’m growing up as a person. Skating has changed me. I’ve had a lot of chances, and this is my time to shine.”
2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games
At the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Ohno won a gold medal in the 1,500-meter short track event and a silver medal in the 1,000-meter race, marking his arrival as one of the world’s elite Olympic speedskaters.
Olympic Career Highlights & Medals
Four years later, at the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Ohno captured:
- Gold in the 500-meter race
- Bronze in the 1,000-meter event
- Bronze in the 5,000-meter relay
At the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Ohno added another silver medal and two more bronze medals to his Olympic total.
With eight Olympic medals, Apolo Anton Ohno is the most decorated Winter Olympian in American history, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest U.S. short track speedskaters of all time.
Beyond his medals, Ohno has spoken openly about the meaning of his career and life after competition, including his reflection in Skating With No Regrets, where he discusses the challenges, growth, and fulfillment that defined his Olympic journey and life beyond the ice.
