Gold Medal
Russian Federation
Ruslan Zakharov
(Руслан Альбертович)
Ruslan Albertovich Zakharov (Russian: Руслан Альбертович Захаров; born 24 March 1987) is a Russian short-track speed-skater.
Zakharov competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics for Russia. In the 500 metres and 1000 metres, he placed fourth in his round one heat, failing to advance, and in the 1500 metres, he placed sixth, also failing to advance. His best overall finish was in the 500, where he placed 27th.
As of 2013, Zakharov's best performance at the World Championships came in 2008, when placed 8th in the 1500 metres. He also won a gold medal as a member of the Russian relay team at the 2013 European Championships, and placed 3rd in the overall competition at the 2011 European Championships.[2]
As of 2013, Zakharov has four ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup podium finishes, all as part of the 5000m relay team. His best finishes are silver medals in 2012-13 at Calgary and in 2013-14 at Torino and Kolomna. His top World Cup ranking is 10th, in the 1500 meters in 2012–13.
Semion Elistratov
(Семён Андреевич Елистратов)
Semion Andreyevich Elistratov (Russian: Семён Андреевич Елистратов; born 3 May 1990) is a Russian short-track speed-skater.
Elistratov competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics for Russia. In the 500 meters and 1000 meters, he placed third in his round one heat, failing to advance, and in the 1500 meters, he placed fourth, also failing to advance. In all three events he ended up 24th overall.
As of 2013, Elistratov's best performance at the World Championships came in 2013, when he won a silver medal as a member of the Russian 5000m relay team. His best individual performance at a World Championships was also in 2013, when he came 4th in the 500 meters. He also won a gold medal as a member of the Russian relay team at the 2013 European Championships, and placed 3rd in the overall competition at the 2012 European Championships.
As of 2013, Elistratov has two ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup victories, as part of the relay team in 2012–13 at Sochi, and in the 500 metres at Changchun in 2010–11. He also has nine other podium finishes at World Cup events, three as an individual and six in relay races. His top World Cup ranking is 4th, in the 1500 meters in 2012–13.
Victor An
(Семён Андреевич Елистратов)
Viktor Ahn Russian: Семён Андреевич Елистратов born November 23, 1985), also known as Ahn Hyun-soo (Korean: 안현수) and Victor An, is a Russian short track speed skating athlete of South Korean descent. After competing for South Korea since childhood, in 2011 he became a Russian citizen and now races for the Russian team. One of the most accomplished short track speed skaters of all time, Ahn won three gold medals and a bronze medal in 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy, becoming the most successful athlete there. He has also won three gold medals and one bronze medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia. He is also a five-time Overall World Champion for 2003–2007.
After winning gold in Sochi, Ahn explained his reasons for joining the Russian team saying, "I wanted to train in the best possible environment and I proved my decision was not wrong." As expected, a gold-winning athlete leaving the national team caused public uproar in South Korea. However, it was aimed not at Ahn, but at the country's skating union. Most South Korean fans in a poll said they understood Ahn's decision.
Vladimir Grigorev
(Владимир Викторович Григорьев)
Vladimir Viktorovich Grigorev (Russian: Владимир Викторович Григорьев; born 8 August 1982) is a Russian male short track speed skater. He previously competed for the Ukraine. Grigorev is from Sumy in the Ukraine.
Silver Medal
USA
Eddy Alvarez
Eduardo Alvarez (born January 30, 1990) is an American short track speed skater who has qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The son of Cuban immigrants, Alvarez grew up in Miami, Florida. He took up roller skating at age five, performing on the beach. He began ice speed skating at age seven, and at eleven he won national age-level titles in inline, long track, and short track speed skating. In high school, Alvarez took a break from skating to concentrate on his other love – baseball. He played well enough to earn a college scholarship, but instead quit the sport to pursue his Olympic dream.
Alvarez made the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, winning a gold medal in 2009. After missing the 2010 Olympics, he returned to baseball in an attempt to give his knees a break after years of chronic pain. He became an All-Conference shortstop, but his knees did not improve. In early 2012, Alvarez underwent surgery to repair badly torn patellar tendons that left him completely immobile for four weeks. He returned to the National Team in July, but was too weak to navigate stairs, let alone skate competitively.
After intense physical therapy, Alvarez made the United States' World Cup Team in December 2012. He finished the season as the country's third highest ranked skater. During the 2013–14 World Cup season, Alvarez won three medals. At the 2014 Olympic Trials, he placed second in the 500 meters, second in the 1500 meters, and third in the 1000 meters. The performance made him the first Cuban-American male speed skater to make a U.S. Olympic team. After the Olympics, Alvarez plans to give up speed skating to concentrate on baseball.
Jordan Malone
Jordan Malone (born April 20, 1984) is an American short track speed skater who was a member of the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He is from Denton, Texas, and is an alumnus of the Texas Tech University Independent School District. Jordan qualified for, and will be skating in, the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
J. R. Celski
John Robert "J.R." Celski (/ˈsɛlski/, born July 17, 1990) is an American short track speed skater and two-time bronze medalist in the Winter Olympics.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Celski won bronze in the 1500 m and the 5000 m relay. His bronze medal in the 1500 m was a result of two Korean skaters crashing into each other. Leading into the crash, he was in fifth place. Five months before the Olympics, Celski suffered a gruesome injury when he fell during a race and his right skate blade gashed his left thigh and was uncertain if he would compete at the Olympics.
Celski's breakthrough performance was at the 2009 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships where he won five medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze). Overall, Celski has won two gold medals, two silver medals, and four bronze medals at the World Championships. He also has one bronze medal at the World Team Championships and five medals (two gold, one silver, three bronze) at the World Junior Championships.
Chris Creveling
Christopher Creveling (born December 29, 1986) is an American short track speed skater who has qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Growing up, his family owned a roller rink and was highly involved in the sport of roller skating. Creveling followed in the footsteps of his older siblings, learning to skate as soon as he could walk. He was selected for the 2003 United States' Junior World roller skating team in 2003 and for the Senior World Team from 2004–06. At the 2004 World Championships, he won a gold medal as part of the US relay team.
In 2007, Creveling switched from inline skating to ice speed skating in hopes of making the Olympics. He tried both long track and short track speed skating before settling on short track. Creveling finished 13th overall at the 2010 Olympic short track trials. After moving to Salt Lake City, Utah to train full-time, he made the World Cup Team in 2012. Creveling placed second overall at 2013 National Championships, and won the 1000 meters at the meet. He was the top finishing American at the 2013 World Championships.
At the 2014 Olympic Trials, Creveling placed second overall and was the only skater to beat J.R. Celski in any race. He is expected to skate the 1000 meters, 1500 meters, and men's relay events at the Olympics. As of January 2014, Creveling holds the American record in the 1000 meters.
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