Ohno Makes History with Seventh Medal

Apolo Ohno (256) closes in on the front position before a slip caused him to fall from second to last position. He came back in the last moments of the race to claim bronze, making him the most-winning winter Olympian in U.S. history. Matthew Little/The Epoch Times

VANCOUVER, Canada—It was an historic night for U.S. Short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno when he claimed bronze in the men’s 1000m finals to become the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian of all time.

“I think one medal is a huge accomplishment for any athlete and those who have fought so hard to be here competing, and representing their country is an amazing accomplishment,” he said after leaving the track that night at Pacific Coliseum.

“For me to be here again, making another final, coming back the way I did from that almost fall, I was happy, very happy.”

Ohno dropped from second to final place with less than three laps left in the race after a slip killed his speed.

“I thought the race was mine, I felt great and then I had that big slip and lost all my speed again. And then I saw everybody sliding by me and I was like ‘oh boy,’ there’s not a lot of time left, I gotta crank it up, and I was able to fight hard and come back.”

He said his title as the most decorated winter Olympian the U.S. has ever had means a lot to him, especially in short track speed skating, a volatile sport where falls are common.

“It feels amazing. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t say it feels amazing.”

Ohno has now earned seven Winter Olympic medals, putting him above Bonnie Blair’s six.

Gold was claimed by Lee Jung-su of South Korea, while his teammate Lee Ho-suk took silver.