Vancouver, British Columbia — As Apolo Ohno skated slowly around the rink at Pacific Coliseum, he held both the American flag and seven fingers above his head.

The fingers represented the seven medals Ohno has now won in three Olympics, the most of any American winter athlete. He secured his latest medal late Saturday, capturing the bronze in short -track speedskating’s 1,000-meter race.

It marked Ohno’s second medal of these Olympics and made him what the United States Olympic Committee described as the “most decorated” American Winter Olympian of all time. (The bedazzled figure skater Johnny Weir might disagree.)

“It feels amazing,” Ohno said. “In our sport, it’s crazy to win one medal, for any athlete.”

In the first row sat someone who knows something about medals, about racing and winning and thrusting both arms skyward after the finish. That someone was Michael Phelps, the swimming sensation, and he applauded Ohno’s historic finish.

Before the final started, flags swirled in the sold-out stands. Five skaters remained: two from Ohno’s nemesis country, South Korea, the Hamelin brothers from Canada and Ohno.

With just over two laps remaining, Ohno surged into second place. At that point, he said he felt the race “was mine.” Instead, he stumbled, falling in one eye blink into last. Still, Ohno recovered, passing both Canadians to finish third, as Lee Jung-su won his second short-track gold in eight days. Lee Ho-suk earned the silver.

“It means a lot to me, especially in a sport like this,” Ohno said. “I’m all smiles.”

He had cruised into the 1,000-meter final in typical late, smooth, exhilarating fashion. In both his quarterfinal and his semifinal heats, Ohno started near the back, on purpose.

His semifinal included Sung Si-bak, the South Korean skater Ohno tangled with last weekend, and Charles Hamelin of Canada, the world-record holder in this race. Ohno hung mostly in third, but on the final lap, he cut inside and passed both, as the crowd roared.

They arrived together at the finish line, with Ohno’s skate perhaps half a foot ahead of his two competitors, and Hamelin’s skate mere inches beyond Sung’s blade. Ohno pumped his right fist, lightly, with little emotion. The most important race, the one with historical potential, was 30 minutes out.

Earlier this week, the youngest American speedskater, 18-year-old Simon Cho, marveled at Ohno’s medal count. For most of Cho’s skating life, Ohno has grabbed medal after medal in speedskating’s wildest, most volatile discipline. Ohno won in Salt Lake City, won in Italy, and won again at these Olympics, held three hours from where he grew up.

He never matched Eric Heiden’s tally of five gold medals in one Games. Nor can Ohno boast Bonnie Blair’s total of five golds and one silver. But Ohno has won, with both consistency and controversy, against four generations of elite skaters.

Regardless of where Ohno fits in speedskating history, seven medals are still seven medals, still more than any other American Winter Olympian or any short-track speedskater from any country. Beyond that, Ohno boosted an obscure sport into relative popularity, practically by himself. Read more »