Ohno wins 500 meters — barelyBy BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer – Sat Sep 12, 11:33 pm ET
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Apolo Anton Ohno earned a narrow victory in the 500 meters and made a daring pass to win the 1,000 meters at the U.S. short track national championships Saturday night, when crashes sent two skaters to the hospital.
The five-time Olympic medalist barely got his right skate blade in front of Jeff Simon in the 500 final at the hockey rink on the Northern Michigan University campus.
Ohno was timed in 41.928, with Simon crossing the line in 41.967. Travis Jayner was third and Jordan Malone fourth. The victory allowed Ohno to pad his first-place point total in the overall standings.
Ohno returned later to clinch a trip to his third Olympics, winning the 1,000 with an inside pass that overtook Anthony Lobello Jr. on the straightaway of the final lap. Ohno waved his right index finger in the air, signaling No. 1, even before crossing the final line. He was clocked in 1:33.306.
Jeff Simon was second, barely edging out Lobello. Simon Cho was fourth.
Ohno, the injured J.R. Celski, Jordan Malone, Travis Jayner and Jeff Simon earned spots on the men's Olympic team. Ohno finished with 6,912 points.
Celski underwent surgery after crashing and slicing open his left leg with his right skate blade in a 500 meter semifinal heat.
He hit the boards coming out of a turn and bounced off them. The first few inches of his right blade cut into his left leg near the knee, spilling blood on the ice.
Celski yelled as fellow skater Walter Rusk, who didn't qualify to compete, jumped out of the stands and rushed to Celski's side to apply pressure to try and stop the heavy blood flow. The race was cut off while he was tended to for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher.
U.S. Speedskating president Brad Goskowicz said Celski was undergoing surgery at Marquette General Hospital to determine the extent of his injury.
Simon hit the boards skates-first earlier in the heat, but he wasn't hurt. Anthony Lobello Jr., a 2006 Olympian, was disqualified for impeding Simon.
Celski was the second skater taken off by stretcher on the meet's final night. Maria Garcia, a 2006 Olympian from Carson, Calif., crashed hard into the boards in her 500 semifinal heat, forcing the race to be stopped.
Garcia was taken to the same hospital as Celski and was being evaluated, Goskowicz said.
Katherine Reutter won the women's 500 final in 44.303, beating out Allyson Dudek.
Reutter returned later to lead the 1,000 meters much of the way, but she was beaten to the finish line by 2006 Olympian Kimberly Derrick.
Derrick won in 1:32.096. Reutter got her left skate across ahead of Allison Baver, who finished third. Dudek was fourth.
Reutter, Dudek, Derrick, Baver and Lara Gehring earned spots on the women's Olympic team. Reutter led the point standings with 6,952. Baver made her third Olympic team just seven months after shattering her lower right leg in a racing crash.
Celski, a 19-year-old skater from Federal Way, Wash., finished second behind Ohno in the overall standings despite the crash.
He won the 1,500 earlier in the meet.
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www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gETntFeSYLd5KiR8Ys41xazKRAygD9AM5BK04Ohno wins 500 meters _ barelyBy BETH HARRIS (AP) – 1 day ago
MARQUETTE, Mich. — Apolo Anton Ohno earned a narrow victory in the 500 meters at the U.S. short track national championships Saturday night, when crashes sent two skaters to the hospital.
The five-time Olympic medalist barely got his right skate blade in front of Jeff Simon in the final at the hockey rink on the Northern Michigan University campus.
Ohno was timed in 41.928, with Simon crossing the line in 41.967. Travis Jayner was third and Jordan Malone fourth. The victory allowed Ohno to pad his first-place point total in the overall standings.
The top five men and women earn spots on the Olympic team for Vancouver.
J.R. Celski underwent surgery after crashing and slicing open his left leg with his right skate blade in a 500 meter semifinal heat.
He hit the boards coming out of a turn and bounced off them. The first few inches of his right blade cut into his left leg near the knee, spilling blood on the ice.
Celski yelled as emergency personnel rushed onto the ice and applied pressure to try and stop the heavy blood flow. The race was cut off while he was tended to for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher.
U.S. Speedskating president Brad Goskowicz said Celski was undergoing surgery at Marquette General Hospital to determine the extent of his injury.
Simon hit the boards skates-first earlier in the heat, but he wasn't hurt. Anthony Lobello Jr., a 2006 Olympian, was disqualified for impeding Simon.
Celski, a 19-year-old skater from Federal Way, Wash., was second behind Ohno in the overall point standings when he was injured.
U.S. Speedskating said in a statement that Celski's total of 4,752 points would be enough for him to be nominated to the Olympic team.
The only thing still in question was Celski's standing in the individual classifications for the 500 and 1,000 meters.
He won the 1,500 earlier in the meet, ensuring that he can finish no lower than second in that classification, no matter the outcome of Saturday's races.
Celski was the second skater taken off by stretcher on the meet's final night. Maria Garcia, a 2006 Olympian from Carson, Calif., crashed hard into the boards in her 500 semifinal heat, forcing the race to be stopped.
Garcia was taken to the same hospital as Celski and was being evaluated, Goskowicz said.
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www.uppermichiganssource.com/sports/story.aspx?id=349727Ohno, Reutter take gold at Olympic Speedskating TrialsOlympic Short Track Team NominatedSunday, September 13, 2009 at 12:02 p.m.
MARQUETTE, MI -- (Courtesy: Northern Michigan University) It was a bitter sweet finish to the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Short Track Speedskating Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Berry Events Center on Northern Michigan University’s campus.
Five-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno of Seattle and newcomer Katherine Reutter of Champaign, Ill., took top honors for the men and women, respectively. However, their performances were overshadowed when J.R. Celski of Federal Way, Wash., hit the ice during the men’s 500-meter semifinals. An injury sustained during his fall prevented him from participating in the final races of the competition.
“He was injured when his blade cut into his leg,” explained US Speedskating President Brad Goskowicz. “J.R. has been taken into surgery to determine the extent of his injury and assess the situation.”
Although Celski was unable to finish the 500m race or compete in the 1000m, his performance during prior days of competition secured his nomination to the Olympic Team.
“It hurts,” said Ohno of not having Celski there to celebrate being a candidate for the team. “I’ve already spoken to him. As soon as it happened, no one wanted to look and see the injury – to see how bad it was. Luckily, it’s not as bad as it looked on the ice. He’s one of our guys. He’s skating amazing. I think he’ll be back soon. He’s a strong kid.”In addition to Celski and Ohno, Jordan Malone of Denton, Texas, Travis Jayner of Midland, Mich., and Simon Cho of Laurel, Md., also earned nominations to the men’s 2010 Olympic Team.
On the women’s side, Alyson Dudek of Hales Corners, Wis., Kimberly Derrick of Memphis, Tenn., Allison Baver of Sinking Springs, Pa., and Lana Gehring of Glenview, Ill., joined Reutter in being nominated to the women’s squad.
“Four years ago I didn’t really come close to the top 16. It was no one’s fault -- I didn’t mess up, I just wasn’t strong enough,” said Reutter. “This time I was able to do my best and all that hard work paid off four years later.”In the 500m, Ohno raced to a 41.928 clocking for gold. Jeff Simon of Las Vegas grabbed sliver at 41.967 and Jayner earned bronze at 42.025.
Ohno also finished first in the men’s 1000m, crossing the finish line in 1:33.306. It took a photo finish to discern who was second and third, but it was Anthony Lobello of Tallahassee, Fla., who crossed the finish line ahead of Simon with a time of 1:33.451 to 1:33.457.
Leading up to the women’s 500m final, Maria Garcia of Carson, Calif., took a hard fall during her semifinal heat. She was taken to the hospital to be observed and evaluated. Reutter was in the same semifinal heat, but she was able to overcome the incident with her concentration intact.
"It's all about how well you focus,” she said. “If the rink is too cold, it can be a disadvantage, but this rink is fine. I just tried to concentrate and stay loose so I would be ready when they called us to the line."Reutter advanced to the final, where she continued to dominate. She passed Dudek with two laps remaining in the final heat to grab gold. Reutter clocked 44.303 while Dudek finished at 44.435. Gehring crossed the finish line third at 45.434.
In the women’s 1000m, Derrick won gold with a time of 1:32.096. Reutter took silver with a time of 1:32.175. Baver earned bronze with a clocking of 1:32.208.
The Olympic Trials competition proved to be intense throughout the four days of racing, so much so that several of the skaters predicted this might be the strongest Olympic men’s and women’s contingent in U.S. short track history.
“This may be the strongest team we’ve ever had on the ladies’ side,” said Baver, who returned from a serious leg injury suffered last February to make the squad.
Ohno agreed. “We have a young Olympic team, but we have fantastic guidance—the best coaches in the world—and we’re hungry.”- - - - - -
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www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQD4OORgoyyP9cEGBH_5i7RQBRDQD9AM542G0Short track skater Celski injured in crashBy BETH HARRIS (AP) – 1 day ago
MARQUETTE, Mich. — J.R. Celski underwent surgery on his left leg after being injured in a crash at the U.S. short track speedskating championships Saturday night, but it won't keep him off the Olympic team.
Celski fell in his 500 meter semifinal heat at the hockey rink on the Northern Michigan University campus.
He hit the boards coming out of a turn and bounced off them. The first few inches of his right skate blade sliced into his left leg near the knee, spilling blood on the ice.
Celski yelled as emergency personnel rushed onto the ice and applied pressure to try and stop the heavy blood flow. The race was stopped while he was tended to for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher and taken to a hospital.
U.S. Speedskating president Brad Goskowicz said Celski was undergoing surgery at Marquette General Hospital to determine the extent of his injury.
Jeff Simon of Las Vegas hit the boards skates-first earlier in the heat, but he wasn't hurt. Anthony Lobello Jr., a 2006 Olympian, was disqualified for impeding Simon.
Celski, a 19-year-old skater from Federal Way, Wash., was second behind Apolo Anton Ohno in the overall point standings when he was injured.
U.S. Speedskating said in a statement that Celski's total of 4,752 points would be enough for him to be nominated to the Olympic team. The top five men and women qualify for the Vancouver Games.
The only thing still up in the air was Celski's standing in the individual classifications for the 500 and 1,000 meters.
He won the 1,500 earlier in the meet, ensuring that he can finish no lower than second in that classification, no matter the outcome of Saturday's races.
Celski was the second skater taken off by stretcher on the meet's final night. Maria Garcia, a 2006 Olympian from Carson, Calif., crashed into the boards in her 500 semifinal heat.
Garcia was at the same hospital as Celski and was undergoing evaluation, Goskowicz said.
Pictures:
Blood flows from J.R. Celski's left knee after he cut it with his right skate during a crash in a 500-meter semifinal event at the U.S. short track speedskating championships Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Marquette, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
J.R. Celski, left, yells as an unidentified person* applies pressure to his left knee after he cut it with his right skate during a crash in a 500-meter semifinal event at the U.S. short track speedskating championships Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Marquette, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Anthony Lobello Jr. (16) and J.R. Celski take the turn during a 500-meter quarterfinal event at the U.S. short track speedskating championships Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Marquette, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
*The unidentified person is Walter Rusk.
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www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-09-12-short-track-speedskating_N.htmSkater Celski injured in crash at short track Olympic trialsBy Jim LaJoie, Special for USA TODAY
MARQUETTE, Mich. — A rush of excitement turned harshly silent Saturday evening when Olympic hopeful and rising speedskating star J.R. Celski went down on the ice during the second-to-last lap in the semifinal heat of the 500-meter Men's race.
Competing at the 2010 U.S. Short Track Speedskating Olympic Team trials at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich., Celski rounded the corner and maneuvered for position in a tight crowd when it appeared he stumbled on the crossover, and upon crashing into the sideboards, his right skate cut into his left leg.
Paramedics and medical personnel hurriedly arrived on the scene, attending to Celski's bleeding leg. He was transported by ambulance to nearby Marquette General Hospital where he underwent surgery. An update on his status will be made on Sunday.
Jack Martell, vice president for US. Speedskating and the short-track team leader for the Olympic Games, assessed Celski's injury in a press conference.
"Every incident is unique. Injuries are part of the sport, and we hope he recovers quickly," Martell said.According to U.S. Speedskating officials, Celski received a rank and placement for his position in the 500 distance up to the point of his injury. He will be classified as a DNS (did not skate) in the 1,000-meter race and will not receive any points.
The good news on a somber night for Celski is that the final points he received up to the injury were sufficient enough for him to receive an Olympic Team nomination.
"Everyone knows in our sport that it can be very dangerous," said Katherine Reutter, who gained a nomination for the Olympic team following Saturday's competition. "It can be very scary, but when you are out there, you don't think of that."Apolo Ohno was one of 10 skaters who finished in the top five of the four-day competition, and was thus nominated for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
"It feels good … it feels really, really good," said Ohno, when asked about making the Olympic team.Ohno, Celski, Jordan Malone, Travis Jayner and Simon Cho finished one through five, with Ohno collecting 6,912 points and Celski having 5,014. For the women, Reutter, Alyson Dudek, Kimberly Derrick, Allison Baver and Lana Gehring placed one through five, respectively. Reutter literally skated away with the competition with 6,952 points, with Dudek finishing a distant second with 5,490.
The speedskaters were honored for their selections in a special on-ice celebration following the races.
It was especially gratifying for Cho, who walked away from the sport a year ago, only to change his mind and train on his own to earn a bid.
"I'm really happy," he said.
"He moved back home to Maryland and then decided to come back to Salt Lake City and train," Ohno said of Cho. "So, he basically made this team training on his own."Said Baver, who overcame a serious leg injury to be nominated: "I don't know what to say. So much has happened over the past few months. So, being here, qualifying for the Olympics, it's really great. It's cool."Points were awarded based upon the skaters' placements in the time trials, as well as 500, 1000 and 1500 races over the four days of competition.
When racing resumed, Ohno picked up where he left off on Friday night, holding off Jeffery Simon in a hotly contested final lap in the men's 500-meter race.
Ohno, who pocketed two golds on Friday night, added to his collection with a photo finish, edging Simon by the slimmest of margins. Ohno took the lead after the first lap and kept up his steady pace to finish in 41.928. Simon was right behind in 41.967.
Ohno made it a clean sweep on the evening with by the narrowest of margins in the 1,000 race. Jeffery Simon led early on, but Ohno made a dart to the outside on the next-to-last lap and held on to take the win with a time of 1:33.306. Simon and Anthony Lobello Jr. battled for the all-important second place, with Lobello easing just ahead with a time of 1:33.451, while Simon had 1:33.457.
In the Senior Ladies 500 final, points leader Reutter held off a late surge by Dudek to claim gold. Reutter passed Dudek on the third lap, to put her signature clearly on the top female competitor. She finished in 44.303, with Dudek nailing down second in 44.435.
"Ally has one of the top six fastest starts in the world, so having beat me to the first block was a huge surprise, but after that, I had to catch her and make my move," Reutter said. "I had to go as soon as the opportunity presented itself."Kimberly Derrick of Caledonia, Mich., finished off the evening with an exciting win in the 1,000 race, edging out Reutter and Allison Baver.
Maria Garcia of Los Angeles also sustained an injury earlier in the evening when she slammed hard into the boards rounding a corner in the 500 race. She was taken off on a stretcher, and was under observation at Marquette General Hospital. The current American 500-metere record holder, she competed on the 2006 Olympic team.
"This is the strongest team we've ever had," Ohno said. "I feel really good about how we will do in the next Olympics."
it must have been he[[.
That woman is "The Woman." I don't care who wins what medal...she should be the story of the 2010 Olympics. If an "old lady" of 29 with a bum leg can beat some of the best skaters in the country none of us should ever say "I can't." She was a inspiration....and I spent a good 10 minutes talking about her to my daughter tonight, and telling her that the challenges that she faces in her new move to Pennsylvania are nothing she too can't overcome through deterimination and hard work. As my spiritual teacher said, "If you make up your mind and go forth like a flame every obstacle will be consumed." That's exactly what Allison Baver did.
USS or USOC should go the extra mile and upgrade at least 2 other event venues here in the U.S. what is ISU going to do? tell you to take it down? parents it starts with you...you have to fight for anything worth having...start a grassroots movement and work your way up but start TODAY!