Unless your computer, radio, and television have been turned off for the past two weeks, you have probably heard at least a little about Apolo Anton Ohno. Without a doubt, he has been one of the most celebrated Olympians in Vancouver this year.
In case you don’t know a lot about this record breaking speed skater, here are 10 things you should know about Apolo:
10. Apolo’s father Yuki got him involved in sports at the age of 6 to keep him busy after school. As a tween, Apolo preferred swimming over speed skating and won the Washington state championship in the breaststroke when he was 12.
9. Apolo only became interested in short track speed skating after seeing the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympics. After going to track competitions up and down the west coast, Yuki got Apolo admitted to the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center in 1996, even though Apolo was underage (13).
8. If you want to see a pair of Apolo’s skates, you should visit the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History. A pair of skates he wore at the 2002 Winter Olympics is housed there.
7. Apolo and partner Julianne Hough won “Dancing with the Stars” in 2007.
6. When not on the ice, Apolo is involved in many charities including Product Red (for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria), the Salvation Army, the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, Nikkei Concerns (for the elderly of the Pacific Northwest), the Ronald McDonald House, and the Math Moves U Hippest Homework Happening program.
5. Apolo has been the American speed skating champion since 2001. Among his titles are 12 men’s national championships, U.S. Olympic Committee Male Athlete of the Month (October 2003 and March 2008), and U.S. Speedskating Athlete of the Year (2003).
4. Among his sponsorships are McDonald’s, General Electric, Vicks, Coca-Cola, and Alaska Airlines, which features a photo of Apolo on the side of its Boeing 737-800.
3. In his three Winter Olympics games (Salt Lake City in 2002, Torino in 2006, and Vancouver in 2010), Apolo has won two gold, two silver, and three bronze medals.
2. When he won at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, he became one of only four American athletes to win three medals in a single Winter Olympic games.
1. When Apolo won his seventh medal in the 1000 m in Vancouver this year, he became the most decorated U.S. athlete in the Winter Olympics. His seventh medal surpassed Bonnie Blair’s former record of six medals. He is in contention for an eighth and ninth medal when he competes in the 500 m and 5000 m tonight.
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