Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010

Apolo Ohno

Short-Track Speedskating
United States

The soul patch is back. With one more podium finish in Vancouver, Ohno, who already owns five medals — two gold, two silver and a bronze — from his prior two Olympic runs, would pass legendary speedskater Eric Heiden as the American man with the most career medals from the Winter Olympics. His chances are best in the 1,000 meters. He'll have an army of followers, as the Games will unfold a couple of hours north of his hometown, Seattle. So what's next for Ohno, 27, who has been a full-time skater since he was 12? Hollywood is possible: Ohno says he has already been offered the lead in a movie (he declined because it interfered with training), and he won Dancing with the Stars in 2007. He's not stressed about the future. "Coming from a sports background, whether I want to be on TV or go into the business world," says Ohno, "I have no fear."