Apolo Anton Ohno by Thomas Lang

Author:Thomas Lang [Lang, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-062-03595-0
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2002-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

SEVEN:

Staggering to Silver

Everyone who is in the Olympics has proven him- or herself to be a top-notch competitor. Apolo had done more than that. He had spent the last four years dominating the short track. In the year leading up to the Olympics, he seemed to win every time he stepped onto the ice.

So he was used to winning. And he was used to being the center of attention.

Still, all the training and all the experience couldn’t quite prepare Apolo for the frenzy and excitement of the Olympics.

It was a unique event. It was what Apolo dreamed about when he went to bed at night. It was what he thought about at 6 A.M. when he was hitting the weights. And when opening day arrived and he walked past the crowds in the Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium, he could barely catch his breath.

Even at a World Cup event, crowds are usually small. Short track is not a sport with a huge international audience like basketball or soccer. But this was the Olympics. Everyone was watching. And when he was with the rest of the American team—the bobsledders, the hockey players, the snowboarders—he knew that he was part of an elite group of people that millions of Americans were counting on.

And even in this elite group, Apolo was receiving special attention. First, people were speculating that he might be able to win four gold medals. It was a long shot, but Apolo was the best in the world in each of the short track events. Some people were even calling it “Apolo’s Olympics” because he was such a favorite.

Apolo shrugged the predictions off. Four gold medals are almost impossible in short track speed skating, not because there’s no clear favorite, but because so many unexpected things happen in short track. People crash, bump, and fall all the time. One misstep will take you out of the competition. It would be almost impossible for anyone to win four golds.

Still, people were hopeful. And as the Olympics were hyped on TV and in newspapers, the media grabbed hold of Apolo. He was interviewed on television, for newspapers, on the radio, and on the Internet. NBC, which was airing the games, was using Apolo to draw audiences. They put him on countless commercials, trying to get people to tune in.

Apolo was young, hip, and had a great smile. People were saying that Apolo looked less like an athlete and more like a rock star. His long wavy hair, his trademark bandana, the little beard he sported on his chin, and the diamond earring in his ear all made his the face of a new generation of Olympic contenders. Apolo could draw huge audiences of young people.

Probably the biggest hype Apolo got came from Sports Illustrated. Not only did they write a feature article about him, but they put him on the cover. Only the Michael Jordans and the Tiger Woodses of the world appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. It was a huge honor. It was also pretty intimidating.

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