Longshot Ohno out to have fun

TURIN, Italy — Apolo Ohno's task to snare his fourth Olympic medal tonight is simple: Just skate right by four of the fastest men ever to race short track's 500 meters.

The clear favorite in tonight's 500-meter quarterfinals, semifinals and final is Ahn Hyun-Soo of South Korea, who already has won gold in the 1,500 and 1,000 meters here, and is ranked first in the world in the event. Ahn toyed with the other skaters in his preliminary heat, sailing to an easy victory as if he were out for a Sunday stroll.

Also aiming for gold at the Palavela will be Jian Jun Li of China, a three-time Olympian ranked second in the world in the 500. The ranks don't thin much farther down the list: Eric Bedard of Canada will be there, too. He's ranked third in the world, one step ahead of teammate Francois-Louis Tremblay, who's also here.

With that group fighting for podium spots, Seattle's Ohno, who won bronze in the 1,000 meters last Saturday, is considered a longshot. The 500 is not his specialty, but he's considered a very strong starter — a key factor in the race, which is only 4 ½ laps around the track.

Ohno, who overcame some pushing and shoving to win his preliminary heat Wednesday, won a recent 500-meter gold medal at a World Cup event on the Koreans' home ice, giving him some confidence in this race. And he says he's out to have fun and mix it up in the final, which is what it takes to win in a race that's often a mad dash to the finish.

Underdog, he says, is a position he's comfortable with — and not a bad position to be in in the 500.

To win a medal, Ohno will need to finish in the top two spots in two preliminary heats, then take one of the top three spots in the final.

Win or lose, he'll then take to the ice for the men's 5,000-meter relay, a crazy event in which 20 skaters from five nations will be on the ice.

South Korea is a prohibitive favorite in that race, as well, but relay teams from Canada, the Salt Lake City gold medalist, the U.S. and China often give the Koreans a run for their money.

Ohno is in the fourth 500 quarterfinal heat, set to begin at 10:39 a.m. PST. The final is 11:48 a.m. The final for the relay is at 12:26 p.m.