You know Ohno.
Now clue in to Kepka.
At the U.S. short-track speed skating trials this week, five men and five women will earn their Turin traveling papers. Apolo Anton Ohno, who took gold and silver at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, enters the four-day meet as the man to beat. Despite a gimpy ankle, stomach bug and skate problems, he finished the World Cup season ranked No. 3 in the world. Ohno, 23, lives and trains in Colorado Springs.
But rising fast is J.P. Kepka. The 2002 Olympian is 21 and winning medals in World Cup races. He’s ranked seventh in the world.
“With J.P. it started last year with the world championships, where he made the 500-meter final. That sort of sparked a new sense of confidence. He just built on that this year,” said Derrick Campbell, U.S. short-track team coach.
Two other contenders for the remaining three slots are Rusty Smith, a two-time Olympian who earned bronze in Salt Lake, and Shani Davis, a world record-holder in long-track speed skating who wants to become the first American to qualify for both sports.
Smith, 25, has slipped to 26th in the world rankings. One year ago, he hurt his back and neck when he slammed into a wall during a race.
“Rusty’s on the right track,” Campbell said. “He’s had a good summer of training. He was struggling with some injuries and some equipment problems, but he’s got all that sorted out. He’s (become) healthy since our last two World Cups (this fall).”
Davis, 23, didn’t make the short-track World Cup team this year but he said he is using that failure as inspiration.
“When I’m faced with a loss or a defeat, I really come back hard. I try to learn from what I did wrong,” Davis said.
The scramble for the U.S. women’s short-track team is more open. Allison Baver, 25, and Hyo-Jung (Haley) Kim are considered locks.
Baver, a 2002 Olympian, roared to the No. 3 ranking after this year’s World Cup season.
“She’s actually improved upon her conditioning and her speed,” Campbell said.
Kim, No. 4 in the world, was born in Seoul, South Korea, but is an American citizen. Her parents moved to Southern California and during their 12-year stay, Kim’s father became a U.S. citizen. Her parents went back to South Korea before Kim was born.
Seoul is a hub for speed skating talent as well as the sport’s most passionate fans, and Kim got her first taste in elementary school where it was part of the P.E. curriculum.
“Haley just turned 17, and for a 17-year-old, she’s got a lot of maturity to herself. She seems to handle the big races and the press very well,” Campbell said. “She’s been very consistent every day in training and in competitions, and she’s getting better.
“On the right day, Haley could be there in (Turin) in the finals.”
The trials begin Monday in Marquette, Mich. During four days of races (Wednesday is a rest day), skaters accumulate points through their finishes. After Friday’s skates, the top five men and women in the standings make the Olympic team.
