Simon says — Ohno is the man; he may be, too
Brad Rock
"Not a good day for me," he said.
He had wiped out in a preliminary round of the 500 meters and failed to qualify in the 1,500 meters. He didn't compete in the 1,000 meters. Still, as part of the 5,000-meter relay, he advanced to the next round, along with teammates Charles Ryan Leveille, Jordan Malone and — who else? — Apolo Anton Ohno.
So his day wasn't a total loss.
On Saturday afternoon things were looking up as he qualified for the quarterfinals of the 500 and 1,500 meters.
"I just want to do well," said Simon.
Just how well?
Apolo well, naturally.
Isn't that how everyone wants to do?
"He's the man," said Simon. "This guy has done it all. He's still the main guy. I just want to be the first Jeff Simon."
Exactly how the first Jeff Simon and the made-for-TV Ohno comparisons came about were entirely my fault. I contacted U.S. Speedskating officials and told them I didn't want to do another AAO column; I'd been doing them since 2001. I wanted to do a column on the next Ohno, which, admittedly, is like asking to do a story on the next Aretha Franklin.
Not only should he have the talent, I added, but I also wanted to see America's rock star speedskater-in-waiting.
Soon I was sitting across a table in the Utah Olympic Oval press room with Simon.
One of the first things I asked was whether he was tired of hearing about Ohno.
"No, not at all. He deserves it for all he's done for the sport," said Simon, "and he deserves all the things that go along with it. He's a man. He's done everything."
Truth is, though Simon is a promising 18-year-old, making the leap to the magazine covers and TV stardom is a ways off. Simon, a Las Vegas native, does have talent. In this year's World Cup competition he finished an impressive fourth once. He is ranked 26th in the world.
That may not seem like much in a country where first place seems the only option, but consider this: In Korea, short track speedskating is all.
In America, speedskating is an entertaining diversion. Yet the USA's short track team is still among the world's best, thanks in large part to the talent and profile of Ohno.
There are, of course, other differences. Ohno is bigger, in both height and weight than Simon. The man who recently won on "Dancing with the Stars" continues to be the face of the sport in America.
Simon doesn't have the layered rock-star hair of Ohno, in part because he was trying to cut his own hair in August, and a slip caused him to shave a swath up the middle. He ended up shaving his head.
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