The Associated Press
Apolo Anton Ohno reacts after learning he won the gold medal in the men's 1,500-meter short track speedskating race at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

The Associated Press
Gold medalist Tristan Gale (left) and silver medalist Lea Ann Parsley, both of the United States, react after the women's skeleton final.

Oh yes!

Seattle skater gets the gold after Korean disqualified

LARRY MCSHANE, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Thursday, February 21, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY -- Apolo Anton Ohno, six stitches in his left thigh from an accident in his first race, finished second yet again -- but this time, it was temporary.

In yet another wild finish on the short track, a disqualification turned the 19-year-old from Seattle into an Olympic gold medalist just minutes after it appeared he would settle for silver in the 1,500-meter race.

"It's just an amazing feeling," said Ohno, who barely missed a gold in his first race after a multiskater accident near the finish. "So many years of hard work."

South Korean Kim Dong-sung was disqualified for blocking Ohno with half a lap to go. While Ohno exulted in front of the home crowd, Kim -- who already had started a victory lap with a South Korean flag -- slammed the banner to the ice.

Ohno will have a chance to win two more medals Saturday night when he skates in the 500-meter race and the 5,000-meter team relay.

Ohno's win was part of the United States' unprecedented Salt Lake City roll, riding the skeleton sleds of Jimmy Shea, Tristan Gale and Lee Ann Parsley to three more medals -- and that was just Wednesday morning.

Jennifer Rodriguez's bronze in the 1,500-meter long track speedskating gave the United States five medals on the day, its best single-day haul in Winter Games history. The three golds were the most ever in a single day.

The U.S. team's impressive showing -- 26 medals so far, including a record nine golds -- couldn't overshadow the biggest individual star of Salt Lake City: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway, the biathlete who became only the third Winter Olympian to win four golds in a single Games.

Grandfather remembered

In perhaps the most emotional moment of the Olympics, Shea raced with a funeral card of his grandfather inside his helmet -- and then waved the card in victory after claiming the gold medal in the first skeleton event since 1948.

"My grandpa was with me the whole way," said a beaming Shea, whose father and grandfather were both U.S. Olympians.

Jack Shea, who died Jan. 22, was the first double gold medalist in the Winter Olympics, winning two speedskating events at the 1932 Lake Placid Games.

Jim Shea Sr. competed in three cross-country events at the 1964 Innsbruck Games; he wept while his son competed, and then celebrated with him at the bottom of the run.

Results

The U.S. men's hockey team advances to the semifinals with a 5-0 win over Germany, while Belarus scores a huge upset by topping Sweden, 4-3.

TODAY

U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan and skier Bode Miller make their runs at Olympic medals, while the U.S. women's hockey team meets Canada for the gold medal.

TV BEST BETS

Today's schedule includes the women's figure skating long program, women's curling bronze medal game and men's giant slalom skiing. CBUT, 8 a.m.; MSNBC, 10 a.m.; NBC, 3-4 p.m. and 7:30-11:30 p.m.

MEDAL COUNT

Gold Silver Bronze Total

Germany 9 15 7 31

U.S. 9 9 8 26

Norway 10 6 2 18

Austria 1 4 9 14

Russia 5 5 3 13

Canada 2 1 6 9

France 3 4 2 9

Italy 3 2 4 9

On the Web:

- The Games

- The Olympian: Salt Lake 2002

- Apolo Anton Ohno Profile

On the Web:

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to Salt Lake 2002 index