HEAVY MEDAL Apolo Anton Ohno seeks historic sixth medal
UNLEASH THE BEAST Ohno gunning for gold on Day 1 Even though his record of five Olympic medals in his first two competitions indicates he could, American short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.) isn t taking anything for granted when it comes to his chances of setting a national record. Ohno is making his third appearance in an Olympic Winter Games here in Vancouver and to become the all-time leader in medals for an American athlete in the Winter Games, he needs to reach the podium twice. If his career Olympic medal count reaches at least seven, Ohno will surpass the six medals won by speed skater Bonnie Blair. His five Olympic medals already shares the lead for a male athlete in the Winter Games with speed skater Eric Heiden. Short track is not a sport where you can actually give predictions, Ohno said at a press conference earlier in the week. It just doesn t happen. Obviously I m a competitor and I want to do well. I want a podium. I want to win races. While he s not predicting anything, Ohno isn t shy in rating his capabilities. In earlier interviews he said that he has a killer instinct inside, but he hopes to wait until competition begins Saturday to unleash the beast and see where he ends up. Ohno has hinted that his focus on outdistancing Blair s record might not be as sharp as the media believes. He has talked about the strength of his teammates and the overall U.S. speed skating team. This being my third Olympics, I m very, very happy with my performances up to this point, Ohno said. My preparation has been everything I could ever ask for. I m in the best physical shape of my life and mentally I feel very, very, very good. But I think that we all would like to stand on the podium, absolutely. Ohno has two gold, one silver and two bronze medals from competing in Salt Lake City in 2002 and Torino four years ago. Ohno s coach Jae Su Chun boldly says yes when asked if he thinks his pupil will win at least two medals. He is confident and more capable of handling the pressure from the media, Chun said. Chun said the medal-chances are available. We like the yellow color medals, Chun said. I try not to think about it, Ohno said of the potential historical part of his Olympic agenda. My goals are a little bit different than what the media would like to portray, but I m excited to be here. Our team looks good. I think we re ready and hopefully we can start off with a good performance on Saturday. So I m just staying the course and just staying focused. Ohno feels at home in Vancouver. I ve skated all around Vancouver. I m very comfortable here. I feel like this is a second home, he said. So many similarities between Seattle and Vancouver. I m excited. I have a lot of family and friends coming up and across the border to support me and support Team USA, so I think we definitely have a big advantage over a lot of other countries. The Olympic Village is beautiful and it s kind of everything we could ask for. So I m very optimistic about our chances to do very well at these Games both on the men s and ladies side. Over his Olympic experiences, Ohno has seen his sport change. I think with our sport, everything and everybody has to evolve with it, Ohno said. There s always constant changes going on every single year. I ve been lucky enough to be able to change myself -- physically, mentally, my technique, equipment-wise -- all hopefully progressing towards a better skater.
VANCOUVER FORECAST HIGH/LOW Feb. 13 Light Rain 47/45 F Feb. 14 Showers 48/39 F Feb. 15 Cloudy 48/43 F WHISTLER FORECAST HIGH/LOW Feb. 13 Rain/Snow 39/38 F Feb. 14 Rain 43/32 F Feb. 15 Cloudy 43/36 F QUOTEABLE Being a mom, I m so proud of myself for where I ve come just so that my daughter can know never to give up on her dreams. No matter what her dreams are, to keep pushing, no matter who says you can t do it, you can. -- Noelle Pikus-Pace, Skeleton It s hard to develop a connection when you re 10, 11, because you re kinda grossed out by girls. -- Evan Bates, Ice Dancing It s pretty cool to be a part of Opening Ceremonies. It s kind of the key fun part about the Olympics outside of the sport. In one sense I really want to do it, but in the other sense I don t want to because that means that I qualified for competition the next day. Regardless, it s great to represent the USA and participate in the Ceremonies. -- Anders Johnson, Ski Jumping THE TWEET SPOT Tweets from the U.S. Olympic Team Just finished training. Have a few minutes to relax before eating and heading to Opening Ceremonies early to meet VP Biden, great day ahead! -- Steve Mesler, Bobsled & Skeleton (@SteveMesler) If you re watching the opening ceremonies tomorrow and you happen to see one of the athletes fist pumping, it s probably me :) -- Simon Cho, Short Track Speedskating (@TheRealSimonCho) Follow Team USA online at www.teamusa.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Receive breaking news via Twitter. On the Cover: Apolo Anton Ohno Photos: Getty Images BLAIR, HEIDEN READY TO WATCH RECORDS BROKEN Short-track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno (Salt Lake City, Utah) is on the verge of setting not one but two U.S. Olympic winter medal records that former U.S. speedskaters Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden currently hold. It s one of the biggest storylines of the Games. Ohno is tied with Heiden for most medals won by an American man (five) at the Olympic Winter Games. The 27-year-old is only one medal short of tying Blair for most medals won by any American athlete at the Winter Games. Heiden won an unprecedented five gold medals in long track speedskating at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Blair amassed six medals during her Olympic career that included trips to four Games during the 1980s and 90s. So what do Blair and Heiden think of Ohno s chances at a record-breaking performance in Vancouver? It wouldn t bother me if he passed me, Heiden, 51, said. He s had a stellar career as a skater. It d be nice if he passed me. It would take the pressure off of me holding this record for so long. Blair, 45, echoed Heiden s support. A lot of records are made to be broken, she said. That s why they have them. They re there to surpass. Heiden is most impressed with how well prepared Ohno is for his events and how dedicated he is to his training. Heiden and Ohno are also good friends. Bonnie Blair We know each other pretty darn well. I ve taken care Eric Heiden of his medial issues, Heiden, who was a physician for the US Speedskating team in 2002 and 2006, said. If something comes up, I m always there to give him some insight. We re good colleagues. While Blair is admittedly not really close with Ohno personally, she did skate short-track in her early career and knows Ohno s challenges. When you go into a [short track] race, it s not about one plan in front of you. In addition to Plan A, you got to have Plan B and Plan C. Blair skated short track before the event became an Olympic sport in 1992. She finished first at the World Championships in 1986, though she said her main focus shifted to long track in the early 1980s. Her admiration remains for the event that, thanks to Ohno, has become a fan-favorite. A lot of people say it s like roller derby on ice, Blair said. I like to look at it as NASCAR on ice. As far as winning medals goes, Heiden and Blair don t necessarily think quality or quantity matter to the competitors. continued...
I don t know how much value athletes put on medals, Heiden said. They think about putting in their very best effort when the opportunity arises. Apolo s goal is probably to skate and do his best, Blair said after noting that she didn t think about the media and medal counters when she competed. It was more about the individualism and the next goal or race I had in front of me. Heiden, who tallied five gold medals in a single Games, says that medal counts for athletes aren t really on his mind. I never pay attention to who s got all the medals. I m impressed more with a skater who leaves the ice after putting in his best effort. Anders Johnson SKI JUMPERS TAKE TO NORMAL HILL In a big step for U.S. ski jumping, each U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team member qualified on the normal hill Friday at Whistler Olympic Park, landing the three 21-and-younger athletes in Saturday morning s first round. It will be the first medal event in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Seventeen-year-old Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) led the U.S. trio in 30th, jumping 97 meters and earning a score of 115.0 as friends, family and U.S. supporters urged him on. Nick Alexander (Lebanon, N.H.) was 35th, and Anders Johnson (Park City, Utah) was 40th to earn the final qualification spot. On the action starts at 8:30 a.m. with the NH individual trial for competiton. The first round of Saturday s medal competition begins at 9:45 a.m. local time, with the final round starting at 10:45. MEN S DOWNHILL FIRST ON SLOPES The four downhill starters for the men s U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team were named on Friday, giving Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.), Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, Calif.) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) a chance at a medal run Saturday morning on the Dave Murray course. Miller and Weibrecht had already secured their starts through this season s World Cup results, while Sullivan and Nyman were selected by U.S. Ski Team coaches. Miller, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, won the 2005 World Championship in the downhill at Bormio, Italy, and came within five points of Swiss downhill favorite Dider Cuche for the discipline title in 2008. He led the downhill portion on his way to a super combined victory Jan. 15 in Wengen, Switzerland, and has two top-10s and a fourth place in World Cup downhills this season. Miller took eighth, Weibrecht 10th, and Nyman 27th in Thursday s men s downhill training, the last session after Friday morning s training was canceled because of weather. The men s downhill begins at 11:45 a.m. local time Saturday. Weather was clearing a bit mid-day on Friday, but temperatures in the mid-30s with rain and possibly snow were in the 24-hour forecast. TEAM USA READY TO ROCK OVAL The first of 12 long track speedskating events gets underway tomorrow at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The Men s 5000m is a grueling 12.5 lap endurance race showcasing the stamina and dedication of the athletes. Racing begins at noon. Reigning 5000m Olympic champion Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas) will have to defend his title against Netherland skater Sven Kramer who won four of the five 5000m events during World Cup competition this year. In Torino, Hedrick was the first American to win Chad Hedrick the Olympic event since Heiden s gold-medal performance in 1980 at the Games in Lake Placid. This is a race I haven t competed in at a very high level for a while, Hedrick said. The ice will really test everybody. The ice will wear you down. It s going to feel a little longer than it really is. Racing with Hedrick for Team USA will be Chicago native Shani Davis and Trevor Marsicano (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) who won a bronze in the 5000m during the 2009 World Single Distance Championships. I m feeling pretty good about it, Marsicano said. I m just trying to prepare mentally as much as I can to go through 12 laps of pain. BIATHON BEGINS The first gold medal event in Biathlon will take place Feb. 13 at the Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, B.C. The women s 7.5 km Sprint event will feature U.S. biathletes Hayley Johnson (Lake Placid, N.Y.), Laura Spector (Lenox, Mass.) and Sara Studebaker (Boise, Idaho). All three women are first-time Olympians.
NEED FOR SPEED The Ladies 500m event will open Olympic competition for the US Short Track Speedskating Team. Katherine Reutter (Champaign, Ill.) and Alyson Dudek (Hales Corners, Wis.) will make their Olympic debut in tomorrow s race. Reutter, (currently ranked 8th in the 500m distance) will start in the first heat. Dudek (ranked 11th in the 500m) won this event at the Olympic Trails in September 2009. Competition continues with the Ladies 3000m Relay Semi-Final. The U.S. Team -- Allison Baver (Sinking Spring, Pa.), Kimberly Derrick (Memphis, Tenn.), Dudek, Lana Gehring (Glenview, Ill.) and Reutter -- is currently ranked third in World Cup standings. With the Ladies Relay finals on Wednesday, Feb. 24, the team will have a good chance between events to work on their technique and exchanges. Four athletes will compete in the relay with the final roster confirmed 30 minutes prior to the race. Opening day of competition concludes with the Men s 1500m medal event. First time Olympians Jordan Malone (Denton, Texas) --14th in the distance s World Cup standings, and J.R. Celski (Federal Way, Wash.) will join three-time Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno (currently 5th in World Cup standings) in tomorrow s race. All eyes will be on Ohno who is poised to become the most decorated male U.S. Winter Olympian with just one more medal performance. The race will also mark Celski s return to international competition following an injury sustained at the Olympic Trails in September. Celski finished third in the 1500m at the 2008-09 World Championships. Women s moguls is the first event for the 2010 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team, beginning with qualifications Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. local time and finals at 7:30 p.m. The top 16 women will qualify for the finals. For Team USA, three Olympic veterans will be on the hill. Michelle Roark (Denver, Colo.) is the current U.S. National Champion. Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt.) is the current World Cup Champion and was crowned World Champion in 2005. Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, Calif.) won a silver medal in 2002 and is competing in her third Games. Heather McPhie s (Park City, Utah) succeses this year include one World Cup win and two more podiums, and she is the lone rookie member of the team as she competes in her first Olympic Winter Games. WOMEN S ALPINE UPDATES Saturday s women s downhill training has been canceled. The latest: The third scheduled downhill training run orginally set for 9 a.m. Saturday will be canceled to focus all efforts on preparing the men s downhill track for the opening alpine medal event. The training run will be rescheduled for Sunday, therefore forcing the postponemtnt of Sunday s super combined medal event. The exact times have not yet been set and a decision for the super combined reschedule will be made after a training run is complete. SNOWBOARD PRACTICE UPDATE The first official snowboard practice on Friday was greeted by a mix of rain and snow. The athletes inspected the course and trained from 10 am -12 pm, then hurried to a shuttle to get to the Athletes Village for the Opening Ceremony. The Team was excited to get in Vancouver for the Ceremony. On the Team will inspect and train again from 10:20 am - 2:15 pm. MOGULS WOMEN READY TO SHINE UNDER THE LIGHTS The Ladies Moguls competition kicks off Saturday with Ladies Qualifications followed by Finals. This will be a one-run qualification, one-run final format.
TEAM USA GETS VILLAGE WELCOME A final piece of the Olympic puzzle was put into place for Team USA late Thursday afternoon, as the athletes were formally welcomed into the Olympic Village at the United States flag raising ceremony. Despite rainy conditions, the athletes spirits were not dampened as co-olympic Village Mayors Trisha Smith and Rick Hansen welcomed Team USA along with Team Ukraine into their home for the duration of the Games. Two of the three Vancouver Olympic mascots, Quatchi and Miga, also made an appearance. Team USA athletes took advantage and posed for pictures with the life-sized creatures. Immediately before Team USA was welcomed into the Village, Team Norway, Team Ethiopia, Team Australia, Team Iceland and Team Portugal also enjoyed their own inductions. This is a place where people from all over the world come together and share stories and experiences, Hansen said. This is about you. Enjoy it. Decked out in their best Team USA gear, the athletes entered the west end of the village to Jay-Z s Empire State of Mine. Canada native and star of Grey s Anatomy, Sandra Oh, emceed the ceremony and reminded everyone that the whole world will be watching. She introduced a Welcome to Vancouver video that featured the sights and sounds of the city and its people. You are no longer the best at your schools. You are no longer the best in your countries. You are the best in the world, said Oh. Sandra Oh Underneath a steady rain, the teams stood and watched as their respective flags were raised and national anthems were played. The ceremony also included a performance from aboriginal drummers who displayed examples of Vancouver s rich culture and heritage. To brighten up the atmosphere, the athletes were given musical shaker instruments to shake along with the drummers beats. More drummers took the stage at the end of the ceremony and members from both Team USA and Team Ukraine gradually began to dance together on stage, celebrating their new home for the next 18 days. ALLSTATE HALL OF FAME TRIBUTE UNVEILED Allstate unveiled the three-dimensional portrait of winter Olympians who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame Thursday at USA House in Vancouver. The portrait, a wall-sized mural, will be completed throughout the duration of the Games by mural artist Tracy Lee Stum. Present at the mural s introduction were Hall of Famers Picabo Street (alpine skiing) and Dan Jansen (speedskating). Its amazing for me to be in the hall of fame and to be a part of this is really special, Jansen said. I m in Vancouver throughout the Games so I ll definitely be back [to see the mural]. My daughters are only going to be here until the 16th [16 and 14] so I m going to bring them back here. OMEGA PARTNERS WITH OHNO OMEGA announced a new relationship with U.S. speedskating star and three-time Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno. As an Ambassador, Ohno will join OMEGA to celebrate great Olympic moments in time at the Vancouver Games, where he has qualified for three individual and one relay short-track events and is poised to make history. As the newest member of the OMEGA family, Ohno will wear the OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Olympic Timeless Collection Chronograph.
BREAKING NEWS Welcome to Vancouver and the USOC s exclusive coverage of Team USA throughout the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. There are now two options to receive Breaking News alerts from the USOC -- via email and/or by following us on Twitter at @USOCbrk. The USOC s Breaking News Bureau keeps the media and the U.S. delegation up to the moment with breaking news about U.S. athletes and team results, advisories and updates. The Bureau editor sends e-mails to members of the media and delegation staff on breaking news and advisories and also posts this information on the USOC media website (www.usocpressbox.org). Visit the USA Media Services office to sign up to receive the Breaking News alerts during the Games. VISITNG USA HOUSE The USA House in Vancouver will have a limited media services operation. Journalists interested in gaining access and/or setting up interviews at Vancouver USA House should request a media day pass 24 hours in advance by sending an email to: USAHouseMedia@usoc.org. The facility will have a small workroom and will provide some interview opportunities with U.S. athletes and officials. In addition, USA House will be an evening stop in the Managing Victory tour for U.S. medal-winning athletes. Due to size constraints, USA House in Whistler is not open to the press. MEDIA ZONE PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE VANCOUVER Date Sport Time Room February 13 Figure Skating - Men 08:00 Gabriola February 13 Figure Skating - Women 12:00 Gabriola February 14 Ice Hockey - Men 16:00 Gabriola February 15 Ice Hockey - Men 16:00 Canada Hockey Place February 18 Ski Cross 13:00 Saturna February 22 Snowboard PGS TBD TBD February 27 USA Wrap-up 10:00 Gabriola VICE PRESIDENT VISIT Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games: Vice President Joe Biden, Head of Delegation Dr. Jill Biden David Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President Mike Eruzione, 1980 Olympic gold medalist, U.S. Men s Hockey Team Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic gold medalist, Ladies Figure Skating Vonetta Flowers, 2002 Olympic gold medalist, Women s Bobsled Vice President Biden and the U.S. Delegation will travel to Whistler to attend the following Olympic events: Ski jumping Location: Whistler Olympic Park, Whistler, BC Alpine skiing - men s downhill Location: Whistler Creekside, Whistler, BC THIS DAY IN OLYMPIC HISTORY February 13, 1976 U.S. figure skater Dorothy Hamill captures figure skating gold and inspired the popular wedge haircut at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria USOC PRESSBOX Visit the USOC media website, www. usocpressbox.org, for up-to-date and daily coverage of Team USA. Available on the site: headshots of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team, releases, media annoucements, press conference transcripts, bios, athlete Tweets and more.
2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SCHEDULE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 TIME SPORT EVENT VENUE 09:45 Ski Jumping NH Individual 1st Round Whistler Olympic Park U.S. Athletes: Nicholas Alexander, Peter, Frenette, Anders Johnson 10:45* Ski Jumping NH Individual Final Round Whistler Olympic Park 11:45 Alpine Skiing Men s Downhill Whistler Creekside U.S. Athletes: Bode Miller, Steve Nyman, Andrew Weinbrecht, Marco Sullivan 12:00 Ice Hockey Women s Preliminary Round - Group A Game 1 UBC Thunderbird Arena Sweden vs Switzerland 12:00 Speedskating Men s 5000 m Richmond Olympic Oval US Athletes: Shani Davis, Chad Hendrick, Trevor Marsicano 13:00 Biathlon Women s 7.5 km Sprint Whistler Olympic Park US Athletes: Lanny Barnes, Haley Johnson, Laura Spector, Sara Studebaker 16:30 Freestyle Skiing Ladies Moguls Qualification Cypress Mountain US Athletes: Shannon Bahrke, Hannah Kearney Heather McPhie, Michelle Roark 17:00 Ice Hockey Women s Preliminary Round - Group A Game 2 Canada Hockey Place Canada vs Slovakia 17:00 Luge Men s Singles Run 1 The Whistler Sliding Centre US Athletes: Tony Benshoof, Chris Mazdzer, Bengt Walden 17:00 Short Track Men s 1500 m Heats Pacific Coliseum US Athletes: J.R. Celski, Travis Jayner, Jordan Malone, Apolo Anton Ohno 17:42 Short Track Ladies 500 m Heats Pacific Coliseum US Athlete: Katherine Reutter 18:18 Short Track Men s 1500 m Semifinals Pacific Coliseum Qualifyers TBD: (US Athletes: J.R. Celski, Travis Jayner, Jordan Malone, Apolo Anton Ohno) 18:50 Short Track Ladies 3000 m Relay Semifinals Pacific Coliseum US Athletes TBD (Allison Baver, Kimberly Derrick, Alyson Dudek, Lana Gehring, Katherine Ruetter) 19:10* Luge Men s Singles Run 2 The Whistler Sliding Centre US Athletes: Tony Benshoof, Chris Mazdzer, Bengt Walden 19:18 Short Track Men s 1500 m Finals Pacific Coliseum Qualifiers TBD (US Athletes: J.R. Celski, Travis Jayner, Jordan Malone, Apolo Anton Ohno) 19:30 Freestyle Skiing Ladies Moguls Final Cypress Mountain Qualifiers TBD (US Athletes: Shannon Bahrke, Heather McPhie, Michelle Roark, Hannah Kearney) bold denotes medal round *estimated start time