Ohno gets another shot at gold today

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Wednesday, February 20, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY -- Apolo Anton Ohno had six stitches in his thigh, a silver medal around his neck and a big smile on his face.

Yup, the budding Olympic star loves his wacky sport.

A crash near the finish cost Ohno a gold medal in the short track speedskating 500 meters, but he goes again today in the 1,500. He's still on target for the four medals projected for him, though not all will be gold.

That's OK with Ohno, a 19-year-old skater from Seattle who understands collisions are common in a sport that can play out like lottery numbers bouncing inside a clear plastic bubble.

"Everyone who was watching that race has to be turned on by the sport. Anything can happen out there," Ohno said after Australian Steven Bradbury skated behind the pack, missed the pileup and won gold.

Ohno's left thigh was sliced by his skate blade in the crash, but he scored major publicity points. He crawled across the line to place second, then rode a wheelchair to the medals ceremony, limped to the podium and graciously congratulated Bradbury.

Ohno wore a big smile, but it probably wasn't as wide as those of his marketing handlers at Nike and the television executives at NBC. They've got a charismatic star in an event that sells to a young audience.

"He does capture the younger crowds," said U.S. Speedskating president Fred Benjamin.

"This is a sport that's not much different for the younger generations than flying down the hill on a snowboard."

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