2010 Olympics Preview: Men's Short Track

As far as short track speed skating, the South Korean male team is a powerhouse. With arguably two of the best male skaters in the country and 5 gold medals at the second ISU World Cup in Seoul, they are the top contenders for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. These are some of thew individuals to looks out for.

South Korea
Lee Ho-Suk, 23 years old, won two individual gold medals in 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters at the 2006 winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He also won the gold in the 5,000 meter relay along with teammatesAhn Hyun-Soo, Seo Ho-Jin, and Song Suk-Woo. He is known for his outside pass. He emerged as a top skater after his teamate, Ahn Hyun-Soo, 24 years old was benched after undergoing several knee surgeries in 2008. Ahn Hyun-Soo was the golden boy and although his talent is undeniable many worry if his knee surgeries may affect his performance. Ahn Hyun-Soo is a three time gold medalist (and took home one bronze in the 500 meter) in the winter Olympics at Turin and one of only two Koreans to ever win three medals on one Olympics. He was the world champion between 2003 and 2007.

Canada
Charles Hamelin, the reigning 500 meter world champ, is the Canadian skater to watch. His father, Yves, is the Olympic director of the national short track team, and his brother Francois, is also on the Canadian team. The native Quebec skater has 29 total medals and finished 3rd place in the overall world championship in 2009. His older teammate,François-Louis Tremblay, has competed at both the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Tremblay is the only Canadian man to have won an individual meal in Turin, taking home the silver medal in the 500 meter.

America
Apolo Anton Ohno, a five time Olympic medalist (1 gold, 2 bronze in 2006 and a gold and 2 bronze in 2002), may be skating for the American team, but having grown up outside Seattle he trained as a teen in British Columbia, Canada. The 27 year old was the overall world champion in 2008 and won his first national championship before the age of fifteen. In addition to his skills on the Ice,Apolo also won Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and was the only speed skater to ever grace the cover of Sports Illustrated in the past decade. In the U.S, Olympic trials in the fall he won all three distances (500, 1,000, and 1,500 meters). The American team may not stand a chance against the South Koreans or the Canadians, butOhno stand a chance at taking home an individual medal. Much like Tremblay from the Canadian team this may likely be his last year due to his age.

Sources:

Gordon, Sean. "Oh, yes. Ohno is back; short-skate superstar grew up near Seattle and Vancouver is where he learned how to speed skate." The Globe + Mail (Canada). January 1, 2010, Pg. S7.

Maki, Allan. "Olympic team mixes young, old; Ten skaters named to go to 2010 team giving them plenty of time to get ready." The Globe and Mail (Canada). August 23, 2009, pg. S4.

Chul, Yoon. "Koreans golden in Seoul." Korea Times. September 23, 2009.