ST World Cup 1 - SLC - Oct 17-19, 2008

[aaosmts19]

www.ksl.com/?nid=294&sid=4569324

No room to pass for Ohno
October 19th, 2008 @ 8:11pm

KEARNS, Utah (AP) -- Apolo Anton Ohno found no room to make his customary late charge and finished third in the men's 1,500-meter final at the short-track speedskating World Cup on Sunday.

Ohno was sealed off on the final two laps by the top two finishers, South Korea's Lee Jung-su, who finished in 2 minutes, 17.941 seconds, and runner-up Lee Ho-suk (2:17.966).

Ohno, a five-time Olympic medalist and defending world champion, could only shake his head after he realized that victory was out of reach with a half-lap to go. He finished third.

"There was room. I made a little bit of a slight hesitation, but it's early," said Ohno, who also anchored the U.S. 5,000-meter relay team's second-place finish Sunday. "It's the very first World Cup of the season. I positioned myself right, came back from the fall yesterday, and was able to get on the podium twice today. I think I'm right where I need to be -- within striking distance."

Although third place in the 1,500 was disappointing, it was still an improvement over Ohno's first race of the season. He crashed Saturday night when he lost an edge in the 1,000-meter final at the Utah Olympic Oval.

South Korea swept the men's races on Sunday. Sung Si-bak won the 500-meters and the Koreans set a world record in the 5,000-meter relay (6:38.486).

In Sunday's other finals, world champion Wang Meng added the women's 500-meter title to her 1,000-meter victory Saturday. Wang, the world-record holder in the 500, swept the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters at the World Championships last spring.

Wang also anchored China's winning 3,000-meter relay team, which finished a half-second faster than South Korea.

In the women's 1,500 meters, Shin Sae-bom of South Korea edged China's Zhou Yang at the line and won in 2:21.03 -- 0.23 seconds faster than Zhou.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-10-19-08 2000MDT

[skaterswaltz]

Thanks aaosmts19 for all the updates and news pieces!

[apolostarr]

3rd ain't bad! But I wish Apolo and Team USA the best. And thanks everyone here for the updates and articles!

[LurkerB5]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all the updates and the on-scene reports! ;D I've been lurking all weekend, getting my Apolo fixes... <blush>

But I'm confused about the 500m. From everything I can see and have read, Apolo wasn't in the race? If this is correct, does anyone know why?

Thanks so much, again, for being THE place to catch up on Apolo news! I always read it here first

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Oct 20, 2008 16:48:58 GMT -5 LurkerB5 said:

But I'm confused about the 500m. From everything I can see and have read, Apolo wasn't in the race? If this is correct, does anyone know why?

If Apolo makes the team that skates WC 5 & 6, he obviously has another chance to skate the 500m. The 500m will get skated twice in Bejing and Dresden, so he could skate it there because they usually allow all six skaters a chance to skate whatever event is skated twice at a WC.

Like the 1500m in SLC, all six men skated that once.

I think since the 500m isn't Apolo's best event (he's usually better at the 1000m and 1500m cause he's allowed to take his time with his late and great passes where as the 500 is a sprint from the very beginning) they didn't need/want him there so he could focus on the ones he is best in, but that's just IMO since that's what I've seen.

[number1fan]

i'm baaaack! here goes attempt #2.

my recap is all about people...the wonderful friends i've met and the amazing athletes who i've grown to admire even more (if that's possible.)

first and foremost...if you're an st fan, you must attend an event in person ASAP! there's nothing like being there LIVE! you'll it! being there will you!

lily (who is now my st mommy) brought me to the oval, took me through the vip goody section and as soon as we walked into the oval, charles hamelin nonchalantly passes right by us...i grabbed lily's shoulder and jumped like an kooky teenage girl ...oh, but he is ALL THAT!

the 'posse' was having their lunch and lori immediately welcomed me with open arms and introduced me to debbief, susie, wags, mari and joyce (oz member). mtnme strolled in after us and i gave her a big ! in the stands, i met sam (lily's hubby), stfan, shwanee (sp) and her hubby, aao2010 and her hubby and wildfire (now my st daughter) and her wonderful dad! oh...and bobbie from the yahoo st group. what a great, fun bunch...my kind of peeps!

note...if you don't have a camera with zoom lens, ya gotta bring your own binoculars! brought mine out everytime i thought apolo would be visible! he is really a sight to behold! btw...amusing lori with my novice giddy behavior was fun too!

day 1 preliminaries...great day for team usa. i think everyone advanced! watching the us men in relay heat 2!

day 2...there were some slight setbacks, a couple of dq's but most importantly, apolo's fall in the 1000m finals.
it happened so da*n fast! one moment he was in second, sandwiched between 3 koreans...then at the end of a turn, it looked like he lost his footing by either catching an edge or loosing an edge. he went crashing into the new padded wall (thank goodness for that) with such force! i couldn't see him for what seemed like an eternity...the crowd silenced as we all waited in concern...when he finally got up, the crowd roared and as mtnme said upstream, he flashed that beautiful 'yeah, i know i messed up' smile and finished his race. what a charmer! highlight of the day, both jeff simon and kimberly derrick taking bronze in their first world cup...in the 1500m (1) & 1000m finals respectively! sooo proud of you both! also, seeing 3 americans in the men's 1500m (1) finals was special...
congrats to jeff, travis and ryan for advancing that far!

day 3...the competition really amped up. allson baver really represented us well in the women's 1500m (2) finals.
she took fourth place against 2 koreans, 2 chinese and katherine reutter. in the men's 1500m (2) finals, it was apolo & jr qualifying. jr is becoming my next fave out of the bunch...what a CUTIE PATOOTIE! anywho...during this race when jr took an early lead you should have heard the roar of the crowd! apolo took the bronze and jr received the much needed world cup experience. he took 5th place out of seven...WTG!

now onto the relay finals...in the women's a final, the chinese women smashed the world record! our us women would've medaled for sure if they hadn't fallen...too bad . men's a finals...woohoo! i'd like to point out that anthony lobello is a remarkable teammate...he's the one that gives apolo the super strong push which allows ao to make those amazing passes. the final 4 laps were a frenzy...everyone was FLYING!!! the fans were jumping up and down screaming their heads off! our boyz won the silver!!! it won't be long before they win the gold! to confirm how crazy fast this race was, all three medal winning teams broke the world record with korea setting the new one.

fun in the stands...wildfire and jordan, wags and jordan, wags and anthony...dang, it was wags and anyone she can get her paws on my dear, you are one bold woman and have no shame and i LOVE ya!

fun back at the hotel...the saturday night bs session was a blast! ...i know, i know...what happens in slc stays in slc.

'hey 19' (that's what we've been calling ya ) we were honored to have hot chocolate with andrew love and his wife, jess. they are both the most endearing folks you'd ever meet!

andrew...if you are reading this...THANK YOU for your generous time, for allowing us to pick your expert brain and for sharing your bountiful wealth of information and insight to the sport we love.

enough already...sorry if i forgot anyone...and if i remember anything significant, i'll edit my post.

to all you lucky people traveling to vancouver...i know you'll have a blast! looking forward to your posts as you continue your adventures.

[LurkerB5]

Oct 20, 2008 19:06:35 GMT -5 bubblebuttsbabe said:

Oct 20, 2008 16:48:58 GMT -5 LurkerB5 said:

But I'm confused about the 500m. From everything I can see and have read, Apolo wasn't in the race? If this is correct, does anyone know why?

If Apolo makes the team that skates WC 5 & 6, he obviously has another chance to skate the 500m. The 500m will get skated twice in Bejing and Dresden, so he could skate it there because they usually allow all six skaters a chance to skate whatever event is skated twice at a WC.

Like the 1500m in SLC, all six men skated that once.

I think since the 500m isn't Apolo's best event (he's usually better at the 1000m and 1500m cause he's allowed to take his time with his late and great passes where as the 500 is a sprint from the very beginning) they didn't need/want him there so he could focus on the ones he is best in, but that's just IMO since that's what I've seen.

Many thanks!

[number1fan]

found these vids on myfoxutah.com...remembering seeing their van outside the venue.

Final Day of Speedskating Competition Heats Up
Last Edited: Sunday, 19 Oct 2008, 9:47 PM MDT
Created: Sunday, 19 Oct 2008, 5:36 PM MDT

KEARNS, Utah -- On Sunday, speedskaters from 32 countries competed in the final day of the World Cup Short Track Competition. The event is the second most important for the sport after the Winter Olympics. Utah has been the official home of the U.S. Speedskating Team since May, and Utah businesses help with sponsorship. The U.S. Team spokesperson says the Utah Olympic Oval is an ideal location to train, because Utah has Olympic history. Fox 13's Katy Carlyle has the story.

www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=7678123

www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7678560&version=1&locale=EN-US



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Raw Video: Speedskating World Cup Competition
Last Edited: Sunday, 19 Oct 2008, 11:19 PM MDT
Created: Sunday, 19 Oct 2008, 11:19 PM MDT

See the U.S. Speedskating team compete for the World Cup of speedskating at Utah's Olympic Oval.

www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=7679651




in vids...susie, stfan, mtnme, breidy & me...our 2 seconds of fame

[A.O.Freak]

hey ladies i just got back from SLC,and as soon as i can sort out my pics ill post them up.OMG,i had a blast..it was so amazing!!!to all you ladies that told me id have an amazing time,it was that and so much more..I got to the oval on Saturday cause we got there to late to go on friday.when i first saw him on saturday,i was on cloud 9..i was frozen with excitement.i enjoyed every moment watching him skate..and i tried to see where he would be hanging out that way i could go meet him..i had no luck on saturday..i left the oval that night so hurt and kinda upset.my friend knew something was bothering me.and she looked at me and said your upset cause you didnt meet him right?and i replied does it show?she goes,yea..and she told me to not to give up cause we still had sunday's event So we leave for the oval very early on sunday and as we turn into the oval we still have a hour and a half before it the event started. and as i started to park the rental car,i realized i was parked crooked(cause i was driving an suv)and as i back up,my friend yells to me, wait up..and she goes look to your left,and ladies,as god as my witness(im getting chills typing this)Apolo was jogging in his usaual red shorts.i was like "OMG!" I didnt have time to get out of the car or even get my cam out to take a pic.i was so upset..so we got out of the car fast,and walked up to the oval to see if we'd run into him.Nothing.i told my friend maybe its not meant to be.so i told her lets just enjoy ourselves.I told her i made it this far,lets just go cheer on the U.S team...They were amazing.I saw Jeff Simon face 2 face.. I never really paid attention to him,but he has beautiful eyes...and Anthony Lebello is so cute..Allison Baver and Katherine Rueter were awesome.I was so excited to see Apolo skate again.. He made my nite..We sat next to where all the athletes came out into the ice so i was taking pics of all the skaters,and evrytime Apolo came out,my eyes were glued on him..lol..Me and my friend sat there 4 hours straight, frozen..it was so cold that our feet were hurting from how cold it was..but i didnt care cause Apolo was in front of me... I could tell my friend was so cold so when the competition was over and they were about to give out the medals,i felt so bad for her that i told her lets go to the front and take a few pics of the skaters ,and then we can leave..Poor thing i felt so bad for her(my friend)cause she was so cold.But anyway i saw Apolo talking to the media,and i said this my only chance to get a few great pics..And i asked god, please let this be my time to meet him.the only thing stopping me was a woman keeping guard to who had v.i.p bands and who didnt have v.i.p bands.i was like SH**t..what do i do?so i kept looking at Apolo and every move he did..and i saw all the fans around him.so i said to myself i gotta do something.So i went up to the security,and i asked her straight out,Is there anyway i can go take a few pics of Apolo cause i came all the way from texas and im flying back first thing monday morning.and she said sure why not the show is over...I ran as fast as i could,i made my way through all those people,and god as my witness,i took 2 pics with him with his had over my shoulder...OMG,i almost melted...and ladies i know this is gonna sound stupid,and childish,but after i took my pics with Apolo,i said to myself i finally know how Cinderella felt,because for one brief moment she danced with her prince..and for 1 brief moment i was standing next to mine,and after 3-4 minutes it was all over..this was my first time at a short track event and meeting Apolo Ohno,and it was truly magical......

[lilyover76]

Number1fan --- Fantastic write-up! Loved reading your experience... as a first-timer! ;D ;D

Also, our Grand-nephew was blown away with the relay races! He had the 'cool' demeanor of a teen-ager at first glance, but he WAS impressed with short track!!! Hooray, Joey!!!

Six of us made it to Seattle, right on time! Sam and I spent the afternoon doing some 'cool' stuff in downtown Seattle!
I hope Lori, Mtnme, Joyce and DebbieF are safely at their destination tonight!

I miss my 'adopted kids' already... "daughter #1 and grand-daughter Wildfire"!!!

Wags, you left so early that Sam and I didn't get to give you a 'goodbye' hug!

The week went toooo fast... wish we could've had a lot more time together with everyone in SLC!

"Soul-sister" Mari---hope your flight home was a good one!

[wildfire]

Thanks for the vids number1...that's so cool some of you are in the clips! Nice! =) And thanks everyone else for the news pics and write-ups as well...
AOFreak...wow I'm so glad you had a good time and that you got your "Cinderella" moment! Post those pics!
Lily...miss ya too! But I know you and hubbie and some of the other "posse" are going to rock Seattle/Vancouver this week! Woohoo! Have a great time and I can't wait to see some of your pics!!! I still need to go through all of mine LOL! Shout out to the Posse! ALL OF YOU!!!

[wags]

WOW guys!!! Way too tired to go into details tonight so here's the condensed version. I'm no sports photog so I just save the great action shots for Lily, susie and mtnme to snap. I took only 2 shots all weekend. First one was Sat leaving the Oval.



Second one (money shot of Lori and Charles) was Sunday after the awards.



I need to figure out how to send them larger. They are really spectacular. This doesn't do them justice.

Anyway....I'm off to bed now. Will have to fill you guys in later about me and my new BFF Jeff....and Jordan....and Travis....and Anthony.....and Jamacanadian....

To all my SLC buds - Couldn't have had any better time. What a great group of friends!!!!!!

More later. I promise!

PS - It's a shame we missed you aofreak. You could have 'shared the love' with the other skaters with us! Believe me guys, there's more to this team than just Apolo! (he's still very pretty though)

[debbief]

Oct 20, 2008 23:21:47 GMT -5 wags said:

WOW guys!!! Way too tired to go into details tonight so here's the condensed version. I'm no sports photog so I just save the great action shots for Lily, susie and mtnme to snap. I took only 2 shots all weekend. First one was Sat leaving the Oval.



Second one (money shot of Lori and Charles) was Sunday after the awards.



I need to figure out how to send them larger. They are really spectacular. This doesn't do them justice.

Anyway....I'm off to bed now. Will have to fill you guys in later about me and my new BFF Jeff....and Jordan....and Travis....and Anthony.....and Jamacanadian....

To all my SLC buds - Couldn't have had any better time. What a great group of friends!!!!!!

More later. I promise!

PS - It's a shame we missed you aofreak. You could have 'shared the love' with the other skaters with us! Believe me guys, there's more to this team than just Apolo! (he's still very pretty though)

Hey Wags, if you don't show up for Vancouver, your men are up for grabs!

[A.O.Freak]

heres a few pics that i loaded up,i have so many more but i just got in from SLC,and im so tired..ill try to load up more tomorrow...enjoy

we had to eat here..lol

sight-seeing before the event


making my way into the crowd to meet Apolo<3<3


i never realized how beautiful his eyes were..

Apolo warming up before the race<3

[skaterswaltz]

WOW WOW WOW - I love hearing about all of your up-close-and-personal accounts! I get all giggly just thinking about all of your Apolo encounters and your rubbing elbows with all the short track elite!

Glad you guys had such a fabulous time. It really is an almost indescribable experience.