Paula: Up front this morning …The 2002 Winter Olympic games are now history; they went out yesterday with a bang and a memorable closing ceremony…. Overall it was the best Winter Olympics ever for the Americans who captured a total of 34 medals to the German’s 35, and U.S. speed skater Apolo Ohno was personally responsible for 2 of those medals, capturing one gold and one silver. He joins us now from Salt Lake City, good morning and congratulations!
Apolo: [smiling, sitting outside in pre-dawn Salt Lake City – it was cold and you could see his breath] Good morning, thank you.
Paula: [smiling throughout the interview] I know you set some very high standards for yourself, you were hoping to go home with four, you’re going home with two - which is a remarkable achievement - um, is there - I mean it’s hard to say this, but since you set the goal - is there any trace of disappointment in you?
Apolo: [slight pause and a little wince as he is thinking] No, not at all. I, you know definitely I think I came into this with an open mind, um, took one race at a time, but I definitely came here to do my best, so, you know I walked off the ice very satisfied every time so I was very happy with that.
Paula: Let’s talk a little bit about what you had to put up with physically, uh, after the South Korean skater Kim Dong-Sung was disqualified in the men’s 1500, you instead received the gold medal and then the US Olympic Committee received more than 16,000 e-mails with threats. Is it true that everywhere you wandered, uh, in Salt Lake City, you needed bodyguards?
Apolo: Uh, yeah, that was, that was pretty much just standard. Um, a lot of the gold medalists got like a personal chaperone just to walk around with ‘em, just to make, ya know, make sure they could get places on time, be safe. Um, regarding the e-mails, you know that’s something that was a little disappointing to know, you know, but, uh, that’s just how it goes, I guess. Um, it’s kind of a good thing to know that people love short track that much in Korea, but um, you know I had a great support staff helpin’ me out, and uh they, ya know, they just kinda shut out all those emails so I never even read actually one of ‘em.
Paula: Well one death threat is, uh, powerful enough, but to receive 16,000 of them, uh…
Apolo: (sadly) yeah…
Paula: …had to be, had to be pretty traumatic. Did, did you focus in on that at all or like you said, you didn’t read ‘em and just let it … move on by.
Apolo: [shakes head] Not at all, um, definitely, you know I just had to push it out of, uh, push it out of my head because I had to prepare for my next races, so, you know, with that being said, you know, I really didn’t even have time to read any e-mails.
Paula: Now explain to us what happened, you had to get some stitches, didn’t you, at one point?
Apolo: Yeah. Yeah, in my, in my left leg, uh, I fell in my fir-, uh, in my first final. Um, going into the last corner, you know, I was so close to grabbin’ gold, and then, uh, I got clipped by a Korean skater and then I just kinda, I actually stabbed myself with my own blade and I got sti-sss-six [Apolo getting a bit tongue-tied] stitches on my left leg.
Paula: And, uh, you know you can’t – uh, for those of us who don’t skate like you do - you can’t, uh, help but wonder how you didn’t, uh, allow that to distract you.
Apolo: Yeah, it was..
Paula: You didn’t, uh, d-didn’t it hurt?
Apolo: It did! You know, but as soon as I got in that line-up and people started chanting, I think definitely the pain was gone. For sure.
Paula: At the age of 19 now, you of course have won these two Olympic medals and what people may not realize is you started as an inline skater. What a brilliant, uh, change on your part, what’s next for you?
Apolo: You know, hopefully, you know I definitely got a busy schedule ahead of me now, but uh, hopefully I can, you know, stay with my feet on the ground, just, you know, keep pushing and stay focused for, uh, 2006.
Paula: How many endorsements has, have you gotten as a result of your Olympic wins?
Apolo: [clearly lost for words, sort of winces again] I’ve gotten - you know, I just – I – this - this is crazy - you know - no words to explain as far as what I’ve gotten, you know. Um, definitely I’m just so, so happy, and relieved, you know, that the games are over, but uh, you know hopefully I can just keep this in my heart for a long time.
Paula: Oh, I hope you can. I tell ya, I was watching at the Closing Ceremony last night - you looked like you were having more fun than anybody!
Apolo: [Laughs] Ha-ha, definitely.
Paula: Uh, final question for you, uh, this morning. Short track speed skating was a, a sport that wasn’t very familiar to the American audience, uhh, what is it that you want them to understand about the sport and, and what it means, and where the sport might go from here?
Apolo: Uh, hopefully, you know, this, this attention can just, pretty much just up-bring the sport. Um, you know I – hopefully more people start trying it out and, uh, more Americans will just start watching it and, uh, be more accepted and people will start to love it, um, you know I really, I really think there’s a lot of potential, uh, all the thousands of people screaming in, you know, in the stands for us when we raced, they definitely, you know, they definitely enjoyed it, so hopefully, you know, more people can.
Paula: And I know you’re so proud of the two medals you won, and the 34 that the American team won of course sets a record for, for the Winter Olympics. Uh, before we let you go, describe to us the pride of the whole American team.
Apolo: [Shakes head a bit and exhales through pursed lips almost as if to say “whew”] Wow, you know, I mean just to be able to come here and everybody perform, you know, under these circumstances, I think that, everybody walks away happy, you know, regardless of the medal. Uh, everybody came and gave their best, and uh, that’s, uh - that’s all anybody can really ask for. And I, um, real- , you know, I’m just very, very proud to be part of this team.
Paula: Well, Apolo Ohno [although it sounds like she says “Apono” there] it is great to see you - congratulations! Good luck with all these people that are vying for your attention right now, I hope you get lots of endorsements.
Apolo: Thank you.
Paula: Not only a superb athlete, but you sure were a lot of fun to watch...
Apolo: [gives a little laugh and smile, and squirms in his seat a little bit] Thank you.
Paula: …Thanks for your time this morning, appreciate you getting up so early for us.
Apolo: Thank you.
Paula: Take care.
