Ohno Expects to Race

U.S. short-track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, whose leg was gashed in the frenetic final turn of Saturday night’s 1,000-meter race, did not lace up his skates Sunday but expects to practice today and to race Wednesday in his next events, officials said.

“At this point it looks like all systems go,” U.S. short-track team leader Jack Mortell said in a statement released Sunday afternoon by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Ohno, 19, of Seattle, won the silver medal in the 1,000 meters, scrambling to his feet for second place after a four-man spill threw him into the boards in the last turn of the last lap. Australia’s Steven Bradbury, who had been coasting along in fifth place, yards behind Ohno and the others, was the only one who didn’t fall; he sailed across the finish line first and claimed Australia’s first gold in Winter Games history. Canada’s Mathieu Turcotte took third.

Both Ohno and Turcotte were cut by flashing skate blades in the spill. Turcotte suffered a cut to his backside that made it painful, he said, to even sit. Ohno, chasing medals in four events--the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and the 5,000-meter relay--sustained a 1-1/4 inch cut (three centimeters) on the inside of his left thigh. He appeared on crutches late Saturday at a news conference, his leg swathed in bandages after receiving six stitches.

U.S. Olympic team doctor Dan Carr said officials checked on Ohno at 11 a.m. Sunday and, perhaps most important for Ohno’s racing prognosis, confirmed that the cut appears to be only skin-deep. The underlying muscle, Carr said, was bruised, not torn.

Carr also said, “The wound is healing and there is only a moderate amount of pain.” Ohno, he said, was expected to ride a stationary bike Sunday and take part in a scheduled practice at 1:30 p.m. today.

The 1,500-meter event is scheduled for Wednesday. The 500 and the 5,000-meter relay will be held Saturday.

The cut is the first significant injury of Ohno’s career. U.S. team doctors Randy Vosters and Eric Heiden treated it on-scene within minutes. Turcotte, meantime, also appeared Sunday to be “doing fine,” though he also got “a few” stitches, Canadian Olympic Assn. spokeswoman Natasha Larabie said. Turcotte is expected to take part in his next race, Saturday’s 5000-meter relay, she said.