Announcer: Here now is Stone Phillips.
Stone Philllips: Good evening, from the ice at Rockefeller Center. He is one of the fastest and definitely one of the hippest. Anyone who's seen Olympic champion Apolo Anton Ohno skate knows he's at his best ont eh edge. It's been an unconventional road to gold for this teenager. Along the way, he has helped to take this sport to a whole new level, and widened its appeal to a whole new generation of Americans. Just ask his competitors. It's not easy keeping up with Apolo. [clip of 1000m]
Announcer on clip: And Ohno hears the bell, one more lap to go. Trying to hold that lead. They bump! They bump skating around... a total wipe out!!!
Announcer: It sure wasn't pretty, but it was good enough for silver.
Announcer on clip (1500m race): You thought you saw everything in short track Saturday. It just got topped.
Announcer: Four days later for Apolo Ohno, the color was gold. But only after the lead skater from South Korea was called for an illegal move and disqualified. Some wondered if Ohno's reaction during the race might have been an attempt to influence the judge's decision.
Apolo: I actually raised my hand so he wouldn't hit, because if, I think, if I skated straight, we definitely, we would have, we would have bumped and I didn't want to take the risk of me being called impeding on him.
Stone: Did you sell it a little bit?
Apolo: No
Stone: Did the arms go back?
Apolo: You saw how fast it happened, you know. So definitely I don't... there was nothing like that.
Announcer: Ever since he stood atop the Olympic medal platform, this 19 year old short track speed skater has captured the hearts and imagination of millions. Is it the long hair? The fuzz on his chin? Maybe his boyish charm? Last week, we followed him for 24 hours, and put him "on ice" to see if we could scratch the surface and discover just what makes this phenom so captivating.
Stone: Out of all the athletes out there, you, you were the one who achieved rock star status.
Apolo: I don't know about that. But after the first day of competition you know I was just like swarmed.
Stone: Even the snowboarders and the freestyle skiers were kinda saying "that guy's pretty cool."
Apolo: [laughs] Well that's definitely a compliment I don't know what to say.
Stone: Have you always kind of done your own thing? had your own style?
Apolo: I'm just pretty normal you know. I go up there and do my best and get off the ice and just try to feel satisfied everytime.
Announcer: In a sport where just staying up right seems worthy of a medal, it comes as little surprise that beneath Ohno's modesty, there is an intensity few can match.
Apolo: My passion is speed skating.
Stone: Nothing's ever gonna distract you? Not even screaming girls at MTV?
Apolo: [laughs] Well, you know, that's different!
Announcer: Apparently, even "Mr Cool" melts when confronted with a bevy of MTV beauty. And it should come as no surprise that he's got pretty smooth moves off the ice as well. [shows clip of Apolo breakdancing on TRL]
Announcer: Ohno has become the poster child for like in the fast lane - in a sport that, like him, came of age at the Salt Lake games. Short track skating is a heart pounding combination of speed, split-second timing and sometimes nasty wipe outs.
Stone: Injury is a risk in your sport
Apolo: Oh very big.
Stone: I mean, there's body contact.
Apolo: It's very big.
Stone: ...you're moving fast.
Apolo: Mm hmm, there's 17 inches of metal on your feet and they're sharp as a razor.
Announcer: In fact, he was slashed by his own skate blade in the 1000 m race, opening a gash on his left thigh that required six stitches to close.
Apolo: It was actually this blade that cut me [picks up his skate] I was going in to the wall, and uhh pretty much just spiked myself like that.
Stone: Were you concerned that you might not be able to continue skating?
Apolo: Oh, I was gonna skate no matter what.
Announcer: True to form, Ohno rallied from his injury, displaying the calm and focused attack that has made him arguably America's best short track skater ever.
Stone: During the races you kinda sit back in the pack and wait for the moment to make your move and everybody else is biting their nails. And you just seem to be oblivious to the pressure. Are you as calm on the inside as you appear to be on the outside?
Apolo: You know, when I'm in that zone, when I'm just totally there in the moment, it's just like slow motion, you know. I'm just like "Oh, two laps to go...plenty of time, plenty of time." You know, and there's some days where two laps to go, I'm just going, "Oh my god!" and I'm just going nuts. I mean that's, that's the beauty of my sport is that you always have to work hard. There's always a challenge you know, nothing is ever easy.
Stone: And nothing is ever predictable
Apolo: Not at all. Thats, thats why I live for the sport.
