I can say with complete confidence that Apolo Anton Ohno is the only speed skater I will ever know by name. I have nothing against the sport, it's just that Ohno was in a class of his own back when I tuned into my first Winter Olympics in 2002. Plus, he has an incredible name.
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Ohno sprung onto the short-track speed skating scene at the turn of the 21st century. He first became interested by watching the event during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. From that point on, Ohno was on the fast track to the top. He was admitted to the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center at the age of 13, making him the youngest skater ever admitted to the prestigious facility. Six years later, he made his Team USA debut at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City and became a star.
Apolo Ohno's Skating Career
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The American Olympic athlete took home the gold medal in the 1500 meters (amidst controversy, but that's neither here nor there) and the silver medal in the 500 meters. Ironically, those results flipped at the 2006 Turin Olympics in Italy four years later. He finished his Olympic career with a silver medal in the 1500 at the 2010 Vancouver Games and retired from the sport at the conclusion of the competition.
Overall, the Seattle native finished his career with eight total Olympic medals (making him the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete of all time), 21 World Championship medals, including eight gold, and a gold and silver at the World Team Championships.
Ohno is undoubtedly one of the best to ever do it on the ice, but now that his athletic career is over, the two-time Olympic champion is focused on a wide array of ventures.
Apolo Ohno Now
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Ohno had a business mind during his skating career. After all, he was sponsored by some of the biggest brands out there like McDonald's, General Electric, Vicks and Coca-Cola and built himself a nice net worth of $10 million.
However, Ohno started investing in the technology and health industries once his career wrapped up. He was one of several athletes to invest in the sleep improvement platform Oura Health in 2018. He also cofounded the human performance company Allysian Sciences, but it was sued for $50 million for alleged crypto fraud in 2021.
The retired short-track speed skater is also a speaker and author. He wrote a book about self discovery called "Zero Regrets" in 2010. His next book "Hard Pivot," set to be released in 2022, focuses on his five golden principles for overcoming challenges with resilience, creativity and purpose.
Additionally, he's made several appearances in TV shows and on game shows, such as hosting the Game Show Network's "Minute to Win It" from 2013 to 2014.
His most prominent TV appearance came when he was a contestant on the fourth season of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007. He and partner Julianne Hough ended up winning it all, prompting a return 11 seasons later on the all-star version of the competition. He partnered with Karina Smirnoff his second go-around and finished in fifth place.
Through all his other endeavors, the eight-time Olympic medalist remained involved with speed skating and served as a commentator for NBC during the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Ohno has certainly stayed busy in his post athletic life. He's active on social media, boasting nearly 260,000 followers on Twitter and 85,000 on Instagram, and enjoys downtime with his fiancée Bianca Stam.
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The legendary Winter Olympian has done what many athletes dream of following retirement by staying relevant and using the wealth he earned for business ventures. Don't be surprised if he's involved in another project sooner than later.
