Speed Skating: Ohno back on track in best event: 1,000

TURIN, Italy — The only sure thing about the men's 1,000-meter short-track speedskating race, which gets under way in the Pavela tonight: Steven Bradbury won't be here to claim the gold medal.

Recall that in the same race four years ago, Bradbury was the last man standing when four other, faster skaters, including Apolo Ohno, crashed on the final turn at the Salt Lake Olympics.

Bradbury, forever earning a spot in Olympic lore as the accidental medalist, cruised across the finish line, arms raised in triumph, to claim gold, while Ohno literally crawled across the line to win a silver medal.

Bradbury is retired now, so he won't be on the ice to benefit from the largesse of his crumpled competitors this time. But based on the action during the first night of short-track racing here Sunday, just about anything else can happen.

Ohno was in second place during the semifinal round of Sunday's 1,500 meters when he made contact with another skater, lost his balance and finished out of the running. The 1,000, for which qualifying heats will be run tonight, is Ohno's strongest remaining event — and the last time he'll be favored for a medal here.

He's still a threat in his other individual race, the 500 meters on Feb. 25. But the 1,000 has been one of Ohno's strong suits over his career, stretching back nearly a decade.

His chief competitors will be the same skaters who beat him Sunday: Korea's Hyun-Soo Ahn and Ho-Suk Lee, the gold and silver medalists in the 1,500 meters. Eric Bedard of Canada, ranked fourth in the world at this distance, also could be a factor.

Skaters advancing from tonight's qualifying rounds will skate for medals Saturday.