Ohno ties Blair for most U.S. medals
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Boxed out by the South Koreans, with all hope of a medal appearing lost, Apolo Anton Ohno could only count on the freakishness of short track to pull it out.
When two skaters ahead of him went sliding into the padding, Ohno stuck his skate across the line and Olympic medal No. 6 was his.
The American who made the soul patch fashionable - even the women were wearin' em - pulled out a silver in the 1,500-meter final when two South Koreans took each other out on the final turn, allowing Ohno to tie Bonnie Blair for most medals won by a U.S. Winter Olympian.
Korea still got the gold, which went to Lee Jung-su, out front and out of the trouble that gobbled up his teammates. But Ohno had no complaints about being the runner-up, especially when he was fourth with just a few meters to go. It didn't hurt to see 19-year-old American teammate J.R. Celski right behind, taking bronze in his first major event since a gruesome crash at the U.S. trials.
"That last two laps was pretty intense. There was a lot of bumping, a lot of contact," Ohno said. "This is what this sport is all about."
Ohno, who now has two medals of each color, moved past Eric Heiden as the most decorated American male at the Winter Games and also claimed the mark for most short track medals since the wild-and-wooly sport joined the Olympic program in 1992.
Heiden, now the team doctor for U.S. Speedskating, told The Associated Press he was "glued to the television" while working in the training room at the Olympic Village.
"The thing that really sets him apart is he's been doing this for a number of years," Heiden said when reached on his cell phone. "We've learned to appreciate what dedication and hard work he's had to put in. He's a product of both those things."
Ohno grabbed an American flag, though he had to put it under one arm when he held up his fingers for the crowd - all five on the left hand and another on the right.
Make it six, and he has three more events at the Vancouver Games to pass Blair.
"I've come prepared, more than I've ever prepared for anything in my life," Ohno said. "I'm in a very, very good place. Obviously, I know I have six medals now and I have no regrets about this entire Olympic Games experience. This is going to stay with me for the rest of my life."
Ohno eliminated Canadian favorite Charles Hamelin in the semifinals with a daring inside move, drawing groans from many of the red-clad fans in the packed house of 14,200 at Pacific Coliseum. But there was still plenty of red-white-and-blue cheering for the 27-year-old American, who is practically a hometown favorite at these games.
Vancouver is just a three-hour drive north of suburban Seattle, where Ohno was born and raised by a single father, getting his start in skating with wheels under his feet rather than blades.
"I just feel so blessed to be here, healthy, competing," he said. "It feels like home soil to me. We just have so much support in the crowd."
Kearney strikes gold: Hannah Kearney waited four years to overcome her bitter disappointment. Canada will have to wait at least one more day before it can really let loose.
The 23-year-old from New Hampshire slashed through the rain and down the moguls - a remarkable run that gave America its first gold medal of the Vancouver Games and denied Jenn Heil the honor of becoming the first Canadian to win gold on home turf. Heil came in as the favorite on paper - winner of her last four World Cup events - but this one really wasn't close. Kearney scored 26.63 points to win by .94 - a wide margin in a sport often decided by tenths and hundredths.
She won in a blowout four years after coming in as the favorite but stumbling in qualifying for a 22nd-place finish that left her crying at the bottom. Shannon Bahrke took bronze to push America's medal total to 3 after the first full day of competition.
Kramer sets record: Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer won the gold in the men's 5,000 meters at the Olympic Oval. The 23-year-old Kramer, the pre-race favorite, won in a new Olympic record of 6 minutes, 14.60, shaving six hundredths of a second of Jochem Uytdehaage's record set at altitude in Salt Lake City in 2002. Lee Seung-hoon of South Korea was second in 6:16.95 and Ivan Skobrev of Russia was third in 6:18.05.