USA/FILE: Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time, announces his retirement from professional short track speed skating

Record ID: 205662

  • Title: USA/FILE: Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time, announces his retirement from professional short track speed skating
  • Date: 24th April 2013
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (APRIL 24, 2013) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) APOLO ANTON OHNO, OLYMPIC SHORT TRACK SKATER, SAYING: "I will be in Sochi. I definitely won't be trying out. But I'll be in Sochi, but I'll be with NBC doing some very cool, in-depth packages around some of the athletes and around the Olympic games. I love the Olympics. I love my sport of short track speed skating, it's been so incredibly good to me. It's taught me so much about myself, about life, about camaraderie and teamwork and training and discipline and all the incredible values that you learn to do sports. And it's going to be awesome being on the other side of the lens this time. So I'm very excited looking forward to working with the new team at NBC and being at the next games at Sochi."
  • Embargoed: 9th May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Canada, China
  • City:
  • Country: Canada China Italy
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA27SWSZ2H0G4UZ63DETPG339BQ
  • Story Text: Apolo Anton Ohno has confirmed he will not compete at next year's Sochi Winter Olympics and has effectively retired from short-track speed skating.
    Although the American, who won a record eight Olympic medals during a spectacular career, has been reluctant to speculate on his future, he told Reuters on Wednesday (April 24) his days of competing were over and he intended to pursue a career in broadcasting.

    "I'll be in Sochi but I definitely won't be trying out. I'll be with NBC," he said.

    "There's been no official retirement party, I've not had a press conference to say I'm retired but it's pretty safe to say."
    Ohno has not competed since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics but has continued to train to give himself the option of trying to make the United States team for Russia.
    Ohno still has time with the team for Sochi yet to be picked but said he had finally made up his mind after weighing up his options.

    "In the back of my head I had reservations about saying yes or because I am a competitor, I am an athlete," he said.

    "I love to compete and I love to train and I love the lifestyle of an Olympic athlete and I love what it means to call yourself an Olympic athlete.

    "But there comes a time in every single man and woman's life where you are able to be happy about your existing career. And I've accomplished all my goals."
    An icon of his sport with his trademark bandana and goatee beard, Ohno retires as the U.S.' most decorated winter Olympian.
    He won gold in the 1,500 metre final at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games as well as silver in the 1,000m when he was involved in a mass pileup.
    He won another three medals, including gold in the 500, at the 2006 Turin Olympics then another three medals, a silver and two bronze, at Vancouver, just north of Seattle, where he grew up.
    He has forged a career in television, as a winning competitor on Dancing with the Stars, and now hosting his own show, but has recently taken on a new role, as the face for a major public campaign for a health condition he secretly suffers from.
    Throughout most of his career, Ohno battled exercise-induced bronchospasm or EIB, a condition that makes it hard to breathe, but kept his illness to himself.
    He was obliged, under the Olympic's tough doping regulations, to disclose the medications he was using and provide he was suffering from EIB but he never spoke about his condition, until now, when he agreed to join forces with Teva Respiratory on a national awareness campaign.
    With his career now over, Ohno said he was comfortable opening up about the condition, which he said had no impact on his performance once he was diagnosed and he began treatment.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register