Olympic short track athlete Apolo Anton Ohno threw up his arms in a what-can-I do gesture and smiled after crossing the finish line behind the gold medalist, Canada’s Charles Hamelin. The look on his father’s face told the story. Ohno was disqualified in the 500 meter contest within minutes of the race but the story didn’t end there.
As seen in the video below, Ohno was charged with causing a crash in the final turn. Ohno was in last place when he tried to go inside of Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay to move up on the final turn. The American’s right leg appeared to hit Tremblay and he crashed into the padding. Tremblay was awarded the bronze medal.
South Korean Sun Si-Bak also went down, although it appeared he lost his balance. He was awarded the silver medal.
“There was no space between the skaters,” Ohno said. “There was a fast pace from the beginning. I had so much speed that I put my hand up to not run into the Canadian before me. I guess the judge saw something I didn’t. I thought I was going to be able to snag another silver. The referees didn’t see it that way.”
Ohno had avoided two crashes in the two heats that allowed him to advance to the 500 final. Ohno won gold in this event in the 2006 Torino Games.
On a brighter note, Ohno returned later in the evening to anchor Team USA to a bronze-medal finish in the 5000 meter relay, giving him his eighth career Olympic medal and third of the Vancouver Games. He is now the most decorated Winter Olympian in history. On the podium, during the medals ceremony, a roar went up as Ohno’s name was announced.
The athlete, 27, is reportedly contemplating retirement. U.S. national coach Jimmy Jang is hoping to convince him to compete in 2014. Ohno said, “I never say never. I need a break from this sport that’s been very good to me.”
View more photos and the video below: