Ohno's long, icy road

KEARNS — Apolo Anton Ohno has been around the block — or rather the rink — probably more times than anyone else on the U.S. speedskating squad.

A veteran of two Olympics and a winner of multiple medals, the reigning king of short track is a grizzled veteran compared to most of his teammates — and he's only 26.

And he's getting used to being asked, sometimes by himself, how much longer he plans on competing in the demanding sport. He said he's not exactly sure if he'll skate beyond the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, but that he is feeling near the top of his game and compared his training to a quote from an unnamed philosopher he recently read.

"It said a lion is at its strongest when it knows it's on its way out," Ohno said.

If so, speedskating fans might be in for a few loud roars this weekend as Ohno and the rest of his team open up the World Cup season at the Utah Olympic Oval on Friday.

"I'm hungry every single year," he said. "I'm a competitor and I want to do my best. I want to be on the podium."

Podiums are very important to athletes like Ohno. Finishing on them can help attract sponsors and pay the bills. Not finding a spot on them can sometimes be the difference between qualifying for the Olympics and not.

In 16 months, Ohno will be hoping to find his way to the top step of the Olympic podium again. Vancouver is just an hour or so away from his hometown of Seattle, and he hopes to peak just in time to put on a show for what will be an almost-home crowd.

Considering that Ohno may not skate competitively beyond the 2010 Games, this weekend's events may be one of the last chances Utahns have to see the Soul-Patched One race in the state where he vaulted himself into the pop culture atmosphere.

Ohno, after splitting time between Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and wherever his dancing or endorsement interests took him, has now settled in Utah full time. The "Dancing With the Stars" champion — who won in 2007 with Utahn Julianne Hough — said he decided all the external fun and games was a bit too distracting and kept him off the ice too much.

With Vancouver in the not-too-distant future, Ohno knows it's time for focus.

His "offseason" has been busy and grueling — one filled with 12-hour days at the Oval refining and perfecting the technique he has become so familiar with.

"Any athlete at this level, an elite level, knows when they should really turn the light switch on and when they should turn it off," Ohno said. "And it's been on all summer."

That's good news to the other members of the U.S. team.