Apolo Anton Ohno got the Olympics off to a record-breaking start by winning a silver medal in the 1,500-meter short-track final, becoming the most decorated American man and short-track speed skater in Winter Games history.Ohno, 27, was previously tied with speed skater Eric Heiden with five medals. Now, with two medals of each color, the former Dancing with the Stars champ is even with speed skater Bonnie Blair with six medals.
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And it almost didn't happen. Blocked by a wall of South Koreans, Ohno seemed to be stuck in fourth place Saturday until Lee Ho-Suk slipped, taking himself and teammate Sung Si-Bak out at the final turn, proving once again nothing is certain in short track. The pile-up paved the way for Ohno to claim silver and his teammate, J.R. Celski, to win the bronze. Celski, 19, was competing in his first event since accidentally slashing his thigh with his blade at the Olympic trials in September.
A Korean — Lee Jung-Su — still won the gold. But Ohno exuberantly pumped his fist after the finish, and held up five fingers on his left hand and put up one more finger on his right.
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His next race is the 1,000-meter heats Wednesday. The finals are Saturday.
Elsewhere, Hannah Kearney, who finished a disappointing 22nd in Torino, won the first gold for the U.S. Her victory in moguls denied defending champion Jenn Heil the honor of winning Canada's first gold on home turf in any Canada-hosted games. Kearney's teammate, 2002 silver medalist Shannon Bahrke, won the bronze.
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