.
March 2, 2010
Lindsay Huth
Every time Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno sees his dad cheering him on in the crowd, he knows it is because of him he has won a record-breaking eight Olympic medals. Yuki Ohno led Apolo to the sport and has supported his son through many obstacles.
When Apolo was a wild, energetic child, Yuki looked for ways for him to use up all of his energy. He first tried swimming and later rollerblading, at which, after in-line skates were introduced, he quickly became a success.
“At age three, he had shown me his unusual talent, especially in his mind, to be very, very daring,” Yuki said, according to Good Morning America. “He shows lots of athleticism.”
The father-son team spent hours together working on Apolo’s skating and his father drove him to competitions across the country. However, Apolo soon became a teenager and the relationship became strained.
“I think there was probably a period of time where we would just fight a lot, a lot, just about anything,” Apolo said, according to Good Morning America. “It was mostly instigated by me, for sure.”
It wasn’t until the pair was watching the 1998 winter Olympics that they discovered speed ice skating and before long Apolo was invited to join the U.S. Junior Olympic Development Team in Lake Placid, New York.
In spite of the prestigious invitation, Apolo did not want to go, and, after his dad dropped him off at the airport, he ran away for two weeks. Slowly, however, the young skater progressed and began to like the sport more and more until a devastating last-place finish at the 1998 Olympic trials.
That was when Yuki decided that the 15-year-old needed time alone and sent him to an isolated cottage to decide whether or not to continue skating. On the ninth day, Apolo called his father and told him, “I’m ready.”
From then on, the father-son team has worked together and strengthened both Apolo’s skating and their relationship.
At the Salt Lake City Olympics, Apolo took home a silver and gold and in Torino earned a gold, silver and bronze. At Vancouver, he was awarded bronze in the 1000m and 5000m relay and silver in the 1500m.
Loading ...
