The Traveler

Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Larry Ash Apollo Ohno, winner of two Olympic gold metals in short track speed skating, speaks to a public gathering at Fayetteville's Town Center Tuesday night.

In the early '90s, a future Olympian watched in amazement as short-track speed skaters leaned at near-impossible angles while they circled the ice rink. It was in that moment that he found his passion.

"That's when I was like, 'I want to do that,'" Apolo Anton Ohno said.

The five-time Olympic medalist visited Fayetteville Tuesday as part of the UA Distinguished Lecture Series and spoke about the importance of athletics in his life.

"Sports saved me in so many ways," he said. "It's amazing."

Students who attended the informal question-and-answer session prior to the public lecture said they were excited about the event.

"It was a great opportunity to be able to listen to an Olympic athlete," freshman Jonathan Weaver said. "I mean, where else can you do that?"

Other students were intrigued by Ohno's descriptions of his journey toward becoming an accomplished athlete.

"The stories about how he got started in skating so young and the role his father played in his life were inspirational," senior Janet Breda said.

Ohno, a Seattle native, described himself as a high-energy child who participated in swimming, inline skating and the occasional break-dance session in school hallways before becoming involved in speed skating.

"I was always active as a kid," he said.

Because speed skating still was gaining popularity at the time, Ohno's father, Yuki, drove him two hours to Vancouver, British Colombia, to train.

"[My father] been the No. 1 biggest supporter," he said.

The youngster's accomplishments earned him national recognition, which resulted in an opportunity to travel to Lake Placid, N.Y., for training. But when Ohno's father dropped the young champion off at the airport, he went to a friend's house instead of getting on the plane.

Ohno said his father was "very hurt" when he discovered his son's actions. So he personally escorted his son to the training facility.

Ohno began competing at national events, and in 1997, he became the youngest person to win an overall U.S. championship in short-track speed skating at 14 years old.

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