Ohno wins 2 events at short track nationals

BETH HARRIS - Associated Press - September 12, 2009

"I felt more comfortable," he said. "I feel more settled. It's been 10 years since I raced in September. My body is not acclimated to it."
[...]

His two titles moved Ohno into the overall points lead with one night remaining at the meet that awards Olympic berths to the top five skaters. He overtook J.R. Celski, who had led through the first two nights and is 160 points behind Ohno's total of 4,912.

"It was important," Ohno said. "Just to be consistent is the name of the game. J.R. is skating fantastic. It's kind of anybody's race. It's a strategy game."

Apolo Anton Ohno, left, finishes ahead of J.R. Celski during a 1000-meter final event at the U.S. short track speedskating championships Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 in Marquette, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

One eye is on U.S. track fight

Sports Vancouver 2010
ALISON KORN - Edmonton Sun - 11, September 2009
As Canada's Olympic short-track speedskaters prepare to leave today for the first two World Cups of the season, they're keeping a wary eye on the U.S. team selection drama playing out this week south of the border.

At the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, flashy American Apolo Anton Ohno beat Canuck Francois-Louis Tremblay of Montreal for gold in the 500 metres.

Since then, times have changed. Ohno, 27, is now fighting for top rank on the U.S. team against a young upstart -- 19-year-old J.R. Celski, who won a 1,000-metre time trial Tuesday. Ohno is a five-time Olympic medallist who became famous even among non-sports fans when he won ABC's Dancing With the Stars in 2007.

Celski later bested Ohno a second time Tuesday when they were paired in the four-lap time trial. Competition continues until Saturday in Marquette, Mich.

"It's a little confidence boost," Celski said. "It's the first meet of the season and it doesn't even feel like I'm at a meet. "I'm not even nervous."

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Also:
Ohno heads U.S. short-track speedskating field
CHAREAN WILLIAMS - Star telegram
"This is my 15th year heading this team, so I guess I am somewhat of a veteran in this sport," Ohno said Thursday in a conference call at the U.S. Olympic Summit. "... I still feel like I am one of the best skaters in the world, and on any given day, I can vie for hitting the top of the podium."
Celski skates into spotlight
Jim LaJoie - USA TODAY
Photo: By Carlos Osorio, AP
J.R. Celski, right, leads Apolo Anton Ohno on Wednesday in the first turn of a 500-meter semifinal event in the U.S. short-track speedskating championships in Marquette, Mich.
His name is John Robert Celski, but to his parents, J.R. translates into "Just Rocks."
"I was competing at the World Championships in Vancouver last year and there were fans cheering me on," Celski said. "My mom and dad had shirts on that said, "J.R. — Just Rocks."

Winning is not everything for skater Ohno
Steve Ginsburg - US Daily
"The goal in my sport is to prepare my mind, body and soul 100 percent so that I can race and be able to cross the finish line with my head held high, regardless of what place I get.
"For me, that's the ultimate goal, much more important than trying to win gold, silver or bronze," he told Reuters. "It's the preparation phase that I'll remember when the spotlight is gone."
Ohno: Fourth time around is no easier
Ron Judd - Seattle Times
"It's much harder to make the team than ever before," Ohno said. "You can't make any mistakes. A mistake can mean the difference between first and fourth."
J.R. Celski tops Apollo Anton Ohno in Olympic speedskating trials
FreePress.com

Tania Vicent refuse de vieillir

Léandre Drolet - Rue Frontenac - 9 septembre 2009
En plus de gagner des médailles d'or olympiques, un des rêves de Tania Vicent est de rester jeune toute sa vie.
L'un des moyens qu'elle a trouvés pour conserver toute sa jeunesse est de participer à ses quatrièmes Jeux olympiques, qui se dérouleront à Vancouver en février.

«Le fait que les Jeux soient présentés au Canada a motivé ma décision», a déclaré Vicent, qui s'est qualifiée au sein de l'équipe nationale en raison de ses résultats combinés au 500 m et au 1 000 m lors de la sélection olympique tenue en août au Pacific Coliseum, où auront lieu les compétitions en février.
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USA Short Track Trials

Apolo Anton Ohno and J.R. Celski (left and center, above, with teammate Jordan Malone), the two Seattle homeboys with arguably the best chances to snare a medal at the 2010 Winter Games, are going head to head all week in Marquette, Mich., where the U.S. Short Track Olympic Trials are under way today.
Ohno, Celski duel it out at short track Olympic trials Ron Judd -
It'll be a fascinating meet, with Celski, 19, who just came into his own on the international senior circuit last season, going head to head with Ohno, 27, his former idol. Both grew up in Federal Way and began their athletic careers as inline skaters.

On SHORTTRACKHD.COM
First day of competition has finished. Skaters had to skate a nine lap time trial to determine top 16 positions and then a four lap time trial to determine seeding and heat placements.

The biggest accomplishment of the day was JR Celski’s nine lap time trial! He posted a 1:23:981! The current World Record in the 1000m is held by Charles Hamelin of Canada at 1:23:454 set in Montreal January of this year This was more than half a second faster than Ohno at 1:24:500. JR can possibly set the new Junior World Record if he skates World Juniors in Taiwan next year, but if he makes the team then he most likely won’t. Jordan Malone came in third.

Top three winners of the 9 lap time trials are:

Men: JR Celski 1:23:981, Apolo Ohno 1:24:500, Jordan Malone 1:25:259

Women: Katherine Reutter 1:30:306, Kimberly Derrick 1:31:344, Alyson Dudek 1:31:560

Celski outskates Ohno at short track nationals
By BETH HARRIS (AP) –
MARQUETTE, Mich. — So much for respecting your idols.
J.R. Celski outskated his childhood hero Apolo Anton Ohno in the 1,000-meter time trial at the U.S. short track speedskating national championships Tuesday night.
Celski scooted through nine laps around a hockey rink in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in a personal-best time of 1:23.981.

Celski makes short work of Ohno in U.S. speedskating
The Denver Post - 09/09/2009

Denton skater second at U.S. championships
CDT on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 From staff reports
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Jordan Malone of Denton had the fastest time in the four-lap time trial, 37.124 seconds, and was in second place overall after the opening night of the U.S. short track speedskating national championships. The event serves as the U.S. trials for the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Speedskating Federal Way's Celski beats Seattle's Ohno in time trial at nationalsSpeedskating Federal Way's Celski beats Seattle's Ohno in time trial at nationals
The Seattles Times - September 9, 2009

Speed skater Tremblay gets back in action

Arpon Basu - The Canadian Press - September 9, 2009
A couple season-opening World Cup events in Asia will be about fine-tuning for most members of the Canadian short-track speed skating team as they prepare for the Vancouver Olympics.

But the trip to China and South Korea means a lot more to François-Louis Tremblay.

"The ankle feels very good, I'm basically back to where I would have been if I had never hurt it,'' the Montreal native said Wednesday following one of the team's final training sessions before departing for China this weekend. "But I haven't competed yet and I need to test it and go through the stress of a competition. So this is a little more important to me than it might be to everyone else.''
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Courte piste: les patineurs canadiens visent six médailles à Vancouver

Charles Hamelin promet de contribuer à la récolte de médailles canadiennes aux Jeux olympiques de Vancouver.
Photo Rogerio Barbosa

Léandre Drolet - Rue Frontenac - 9 août 2009
Après avoir tenu les sélections olympiques en août à Calgary, les équipes féminine et masculine de courte piste ont repris l'entraînement intensif il y a trois semaines et la confiance se lisait sur tous les visages à l'aréna Maurice-Richard, mercredi matin.
«On n’a jamais été en aussi bonne forme en septembre», a déclaré François-Louis Tremblay, médaillé d'argent au 500 mètres à Turin.
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À cinq mois des Jeux de Vancouver, l’entraîneur de l'équipe masculine, Derrick Campbell, était d'un calme olympien et respirait la confiance.«La direction de Patinage de vitesse Canada a eu une vision très intelligente en préparant un programme à long terme en vue des Jeux olympiques de Vancouver. Depuis 2006 qu'on se prépare pour cette année», a déclaré Campbell, qui semblait très satisfait de la condition tant physique que mentale de ses patineurs.
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Déjà la grande ligue

Alain Bergeron - Le Journal de québec - 08/09/2009
L’euphorie olympique ne semble pas altérer le sérieux de Valére Maltais, promue prématurément dans l’équipe canadienne de patinage de vitesse courte piste qu’on verra aux Jeux de Vancouver.

«Même durant les entraînements, je veux me tenir à l’avant. Toute la saison, je veux démontrer aux dirigeants de l’équipe qu’ils ont fait le bon choix en faisant de moi leur choix discrétionnaire», promet la patineuse originaire de La Baie, qui s’envolera samedi en prévision de la première Coupe du monde, du 17 au 20 septembre, à Pékin.

Valeur sûre

Le présent et l’avenir que représente la jeune Maltais ont guidé les décideurs au lendemain du processus de sélection tenu à Vancouver, du 9 au 18 août. Cinquième au général selon un complexe calcul de points, son troisième rang à l’épreuve des 1500 mètres demeurait son meilleur argument pour influencer le Comité haute performance de Patinage de vitesse Canada.
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