Apolo Anton Ohno Bio (Biography)
Real name:
Apolo Anton Ohno
Date of birth:
May 22. 1982
Place of birth:
Seattle, Washington, USA
Astrology Sign:
Gemini
Height:
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Tags:
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Biography
Apolo Anton Ohno is a professional speed skater. He has won five Olympic medals, including two Winter Olympics gold medals. Apolo Anton Ohno was born in Seattle, Washington in 1982. He was raised by a single father, who took him to various sports such as swimming and skating to occupy his son's time. As a young boy, Apolo became very talented at short-track ice skating. He appeared in Sports Illustrated for Kids at the age of thirteen, and at the age of fourteen became U.S. Champion as the youngest person to ever make that achievement. In 2000-2001 he became the first American World Cup champion.
He then joined the U.S. Olympic team, and won two medals in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City: one silver (for the 1000 meter race) and one gold (for the 1500 meter). The silver medal was partly a result of a massive wipeout / pile-up that occurred at the end of the race, felling all of the leading competitors and allowing the skater who had been in last place to take the gold, while Apolo Anton Ohno was able to get back up and win the silver medal before the others recovered. In the 1500 meter event, where Ohno won the gold, the first skater to cross the finish line was the South Korean competitor, Kim Dong-Sung; however, Dong-Sung was disqualified for illegal blocking. South Korean reaction to the race result was extremely negative, with thousands of angry and threatening letters, and Ohno has since had to decide against competing in some South Korea-held events because of security concerns.
After the Salt Lake City Olympics, Apolo Anton Ohno continued to skate for the U.S. Olympic Team, recently winning three medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He has also repeatedly defended the World Cup title. After one race in the 2006 Winter Olympics, where Apolo Anton Ohno received the bronze and two of his South Korean competitors won the gold and silver, the three skaters appeared for a photo-op shaking hands after the race and it is possible that this has repaired the rift between the American and South Korean teams.
As of early 2007, Apolo Anton Ohno has not yet determined whether he will participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics, but comments given during interviews seem to suggest that he will, assuming there are no problems with his health.
He then joined the U.S. Olympic team, and won two medals in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City: one silver (for the 1000 meter race) and one gold (for the 1500 meter). The silver medal was partly a result of a massive wipeout / pile-up that occurred at the end of the race, felling all of the leading competitors and allowing the skater who had been in last place to take the gold, while Apolo Anton Ohno was able to get back up and win the silver medal before the others recovered. In the 1500 meter event, where Ohno won the gold, the first skater to cross the finish line was the South Korean competitor, Kim Dong-Sung; however, Dong-Sung was disqualified for illegal blocking. South Korean reaction to the race result was extremely negative, with thousands of angry and threatening letters, and Ohno has since had to decide against competing in some South Korea-held events because of security concerns.
After the Salt Lake City Olympics, Apolo Anton Ohno continued to skate for the U.S. Olympic Team, recently winning three medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He has also repeatedly defended the World Cup title. After one race in the 2006 Winter Olympics, where Apolo Anton Ohno received the bronze and two of his South Korean competitors won the gold and silver, the three skaters appeared for a photo-op shaking hands after the race and it is possible that this has repaired the rift between the American and South Korean teams.
As of early 2007, Apolo Anton Ohno has not yet determined whether he will participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics, but comments given during interviews seem to suggest that he will, assuming there are no problems with his health.