Apolo Ohno

Lore & Background

Ohno was born in Seattle, Washington, to a Japanese-born father, Yuki Ohno, and a European-American mother, Jerrie Lee. His parents divorced when he was an infant, and he was raised by his father. At age 6, his father involved him in competitive swimming and quad-speed roller skating. Ohno later became a national inline speedskating champion. At 13, he became interested in short track after seeing the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, and his father drove him to competitions throughout the northwest United States and Canada. He was admitted to the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center in 1996 at age 13, the youngest skater admitted.

Ohno became the youngest U.S. national champion in 1997 at age 14. He struggled at the 1997 World Championships and failed to qualify for the 1998 Olympic team, but recommitted to the sport. He won his first World Cup overall title in 2001, and again in 2003 and 2005. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, he emerged as the face of short-track speed skating among American fans, though his races involved controversy, including a disqualification in the 500 m and a multi-skater fall in the 1000 m final. He won his first overall World Championship title in 2008.

Reader's Guide

Apolo Ohno's significance lies in his role as the most decorated American short-track speed skater in Olympic history, with eight medals across three Winter Games. His career helped popularize short-track speed skating in the United States, particularly after his performances at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where he became a household name despite controversies surrounding race outcomes. Ohno's longevity in the sport is notable: he was the reigning U.S. national champion from 2001 to 2009, winning the title 12 times, and was the first American to win a World Cup overall title. Beyond competition, he expanded his influence as a motivational speaker, philanthropist, entrepreneur in health and technology, and television personality, winning Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and later hosting Minute to Win It and serving as a commentator for NBC's Olympic coverage. His induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019 cements his legacy as a transformative figure in his sport.

Did You Know?

• Ohno was named not after the Olympian deity Apollo but from Greek words meaning 'steer away from' and 'look out; here he comes.'
• At age 14, he became the youngest U.S. national champion in 1997.
• He won the 2007 season of Dancing with the Stars.
• He was a finalist for the Sullivan Award in 2002, 2003, and 2006.

A Father's Sacrifice and a Name with Purpose

Apolo Ohno entered the world on May 22, 1982, in Seattle, Washington, the son of Japanese-born Yuki Ohno and European-American Jerrie Lee. His parents split when he was still an infant, leaving Yuki to raise his son largely alone in a country where he had no extended family. Working long twelve-hour shifts as a hair stylist and owner of the salon Yuki's Diffusion, the father meticulously vetted childcare providers so his boy would not grow up unsupervised. As Apolo matured, Yuki channeled his energy into structured activity—enrolling him in competitive swimming and quad-speed roller skating at just six years old. Their daily rhythm was grueling: morning swim practice, a school day, then afternoon skating sessions. By twelve, Apolo had claimed the Washington state breaststroke title, though his heart clearly belonged to skating. Yuki himself chose the name Apolo not from the Greek god Apollo but from two Greek roots: apo, meaning to steer away from, and lo, meaning look out, here he comes. The father has spoken openly about the constant tension between honoring his son's growing need for independence and pushing him toward athletic excellence.

From Lake Placid to the World Stage

Seeing short track speed skating at the 1994 Lillehammer Games sparked something in thirteen-year-old Apolo, and his father immediately began driving him to competitions across the Pacific Northwest and into Canada. In 1996, Yuki secured his son a spot at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, making Apolo the youngest skater ever admitted. The following year, at fourteen, he captured the U.S. Senior Championships overall title—gold in the 1500 meters, silver in the 300, and a fourth-place finish in the 500—becoming the youngest national champion in the country's history. His momentum carried him to the Colorado Springs training center as a teenager. By December 1999, he was the youngest skater to claim a World Cup event title, and in 2001 he became the first American ever to win the World Cup overall championship, a feat he repeated in 2003 and 2005. Over his career he amassed twelve national titles, held the reigning championship from 2001 through 2009, and claimed his first overall World Championship crown in 2008. His Olympic tally stands at eight medals—two gold, two silver, four bronze—earning him induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019.

Setbacks That Forged a Comeback

Early at Lake Placid, Ohno's commitment was shaky until his teammates gave him the nickname Chunky, a jab that galvanized him into serious training. Yet even after his triumphant 1997 national title, the 1997 World Championships in Nagano exposed how far he still had to go: he finished nineteenth overall. The defeat sent him back to Seattle, and from April through August of that year he stopped training entirely, gaining weight and falling out of competitive shape. The consequence was brutal—he finished last in the Olympic trials and missed the 1998 Nagano Games altogether. Rather than quit, he dropped back to junior-level skating at Lake Placid and rebuilt from the ground up. The 1999 World Junior Championships became his redemption, with first-place finishes in the 1000 and 1500 meters plus a silver in the 500. The 2000 season still brought stumbles: a third-place finish at the U.S. Championships and ninth at Worlds. But the 2000–01 campaign delivered his first World Cup overall title, a regained national championship, and a runner-up World Championship result behind China's Li Jiajun—proof that the setbacks had hardened him rather than broken him.

Life After the Rink

Once his competitive years concluded, Ohno refused to let the spotlight dim. He has built a career as a motivational speaker and philanthropist, using his platform to encourage others. In the business world, he launched a nutritional supplement company and has pursued entrepreneurial ventures spanning health, wellness, and technology. His entertainment foray reached a peak when he won the 2007 season of Dancing with the Stars, proving his competitive drive translated well beyond the ice. He later took the host chair for the Game Show Network revival of Minute to Win It, bringing his energetic personality to a national television audience. On the broadcast side, he served as an on-air commentator for NBC's coverage of both the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, guiding viewers through the very sport that defined his youth. His accolades from the competitive era—U.S. Speedskating Athlete of the Year in 2003, multiple USOC Male Athlete of the Month honors, and three Sullivan Award finalist nods—remind the public that the man behind the microphone and the business ventures was once the face of American short track speed skating.

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