Team USA ready to rock the Pacific Coliseum and the Richmond Olympic Oval

February 12, 2010—Vancouver, British Columbia

As short track speedskating events begin tomorrow, all eyes will be on Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, WA) who is poised to become the most decorated male U.S. Winter Olympian with just one more medal performance. During the opening day of competition, Ohno joins with first time Olympians Jordan Malone (Denton, TX) and J.R. Celski (Federal Way, WA) in the Men’s 1500m. The race will also mark Celski’s return to international competition following an injury sustained at the Olympic Trials in September.

 “This is one of the most important distances for the U.S. team,” said Jae Su Chun, U.S. Olympic coach. “We have high expectations for our competing athletes. We can’t afford to make any mistakes.”

The Ladies 500m event will open Olympic competition for the U.S. Olympic short track team. Katherine Reutter (Champaign, IL) and Alyson Dudek (Hales Corners, WI) will make their Olympic debut in tomorrow’s race. Reutter, (currently ranked 8th in the 500m distance) will start in the first heat. Dudek (ranked 11th in the 500m) won this event at the Olympic Trials in September 2009. “The 500m race, especially the first round, is very important for qualifying and to get a good starting position,” said Chun.

Competition continues with the Ladies 3000m Relay semifinal. The U.S. team, which includes Allison Baver, (Sinking Spring, PA), Kimberly Derrick (Memphis, TN), Dudek, Lana Gehring (Glenview, IL) and Reutter, is currently ranked third in World Cup standings. With the Ladies Relay finals on Wednesday, February 24th, the team will have a good chance between events to work on their technique and exchanges. Four athletes will compete in the relay with the final roster confirmed 30 minutes prior to the race.

For long track speedskating, the first of 12 events gets underway tomorrow at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The Men’s 5000m is a grueling 12.5 lap endurance race showcasing the stamina and dedication of the athletes. Reigning 5000m Olympic champion Chad Hedrick (Spring, TX) will have to defend his title against Netherland skater Sven Kramer who won four of the five 5000m events during World Cup competition this year. In Torino, Hedrick was the first American to win the Olympic event since Heiden’s gold-medal performance in 1980 at the Games in Lake Placid.

“This is a race I haven’t competed in at a very high level for a while,” Hedrick said. “The ice will really test everybody. The ice will wear you down. It’s going to feel a little longer than it really is.”

Racing with Hedrick for Team USA will be Chicago native Shani Davis and Trevor Marsicano (Ballston Spa, NY) who won a bronze in the 5000m during the 2009 World Single Distance Championships.

“I’m feeling pretty good about it,” Marsicano said. “I’m just trying to prepare mentally as much as I can to go through 12 laps of pain.”

Racing begins at noon. For results, visit the Olympics page at www.usspeedskating.org.