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Post by dose on Oct 8, 2011 5:55:17 GMT -8
Speed Skating Russia names short track teams for 2011-2012 season first four World Cups
World Cup 1 – Salt Lake City (USA) World Cup 2 – Saguenay (Canada) World Cup 3 – Nagoya (Japan) World Cup 4 – Shanghai (China)
Men: Eugene Kozulin Ruslan Zakharov Vyacheslav Kurginian Pavel Rybakov Simon Elistratov Vladimir Grigoriev
Women: Tatiana Borodulina Olga Belyakov Catherine Baranok Julia Kichapova Evgenia Zakharova Nina Evteeva
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Dec 6, 2011 16:27:47 GMT -8
Some screen grabs that I got from the ISU broadcast of the Russian men's silver medal relay team. I know the names, but I don't know who is who, so I'd welcome anyone who can do a left-to-right identification! Tags: Semen Elistratov / Evgenii Kozulin / Viacheslav Kurginian / Vladimir Grigorev / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Dec 28, 2011 8:37:50 GMT -8
Coming Soo-n to a ST competition near you... it's official - 'Viktor' is now a Russian citizen! Korean short track star Ahn Hyun-Soo gets Russian citizenship, to compete as 'Viktor'MOSCOW, December 28 / (RIA Novosti) Korea’s three-time Olympic gold medalist in short track speed skating Ahn Hyun-Soo will compete as Viktor Ahn after receiving Russian citizenship, skating officials said Wednesday. Read More: en.ria.ru/sports/20111228/170529752.htmlTags: Ahn Hyun-Soo / Viktor Ahn / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by sk8er on Dec 29, 2011 11:16:45 GMT -8
Well well....good on him! He'll be 29, not too old to compete. Let's see, Ohno will be 31. I wonder if Apolo views this as any sort of challenge? What a match up that would be!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2012 20:01:30 GMT -8
....as in Viktor-y?
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 1, 2012 20:45:20 GMT -8
....as in Viktor-y? Actually, gasp, in the following article, he mentions that very thing! Wow, he has a sweet deal... he's automatically on the team without having to go through tryouts - and as justsayin noted in an article upthread, this story confirms that he has a $10,000 (in USD) monthly stipend! Ahn Hyun-Soo Becomes Naturalized RussianThe Chosunilbo / Jan 2, 2012 Ahn Hyun-Soo Becomes Naturalized RussianShort track speed skating star Ahn Hyun-soo has officially become Viktor Ahn. The Russian Skating Union announced on Wednesday that "President Dmitry Medvedev signed the presidential order granting Ahn Russian citizenship on Monday." Read More: english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/12/30/2011123001204.htmlThe three-time Olympic gold medalist, who won the world championships for five years in a row, said he chose the name because he thought "it would be nice to be as famous in Russia as legendary Korean-Russian rock singer Viktor Choi." But he said he first consulted with Russian Skating Union President Aleksei Kravtsov in choosing his new name. "I like it because it's like the English word 'victory.' I plan to apply to give up my Korean citizenship when I get a Russian passport at the end of next month," he said. Ahn was one of Korea's most cherished speed skaters on the short track. He won five consecutive worlds from 2003 and picked up three gold medals at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, with his explosive speed. But in January 2008, he failed to make it to the national team as he encountered various forms of misfortune, including an injury he sustained during training at the Korea National Training Center, also known as the Taeneung Training Center. Appreciative of Ahn's skills and diligence, the Russian Skating Union offered him a helping hand -- with the condition that he become a naturalized Russian, as the country looks ahead to the 2014 Winter Olympics it will host in Sochi near the Black Sea. In August last year, Ahn admitted on his blog that he had applied for Russian citizenship, saying, "I'm only focusing on the 2014 Sochi Olympics for now." He said Russia had swayed him with its promise of full support and an environment in which he could dedicate himself to training. Ahn is automatically on the Russian national team without having to go through tryouts, and is training hard in Novogorsk near Moscow. The camp is also used by Korean rhythmic gymnast and young star Son Yeon-jae. Russia pays for all of Ahn's training costs, as well as a monthly stipend of US$10,000 (W11.5 million). He will compete at the European Championships in the Czech Republic next month, followed by the World Cup in Moscow in February, where he will take on Korean skaters. "I've gone through very difficult times [in recent years]. I will only look forward to my future goals from now," he said.[/img] +++ Tags: Ahn Hyun-Soo / Viktor Ahn / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 31, 2012 9:32:32 GMT -8
Well, now we know who's replacing Jimmy - wasn't Guy Thibault USA's high-performance director/equipment coach (or something like that) a few years back? Canadian Thibaut gets Russian short track coaching job (AFP) – 7 hours ago www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j1Li9sLyBLSh0vbBYnX1b-Fe2R9Q?docId=CNG.c278d1373631c8529a6a2737c5b048e7.131 MOSCOW — Canadian Guy Thibault has been appointed coaching consultant with the Russian national short track team. "Thibault himself was a top-class skater and participated in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games," Russian Skaters Union (RSU) chief Alexei Kravtsov said on Tuesday. -------------------------- EDIT: Here's another article that 1) answers my question about Thibaut above, and 2) says that Ahn will be competing in this weekend's World Cup 5 in Moscow! SportsCanada's Thibault to Coach Russian Speed SkatersMOSCOW, January 31, 2012 (RIA Novosti) en.ria.ru/sports/20120131/171042982.html
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Post by sk8er on Jan 31, 2012 10:06:47 GMT -8
I recall when we seemed to pick off the whole Canadian coaching staff when there was a dust up in Canada, lol. Still, Jimmy is the best and the Russians may be sorry (not to say Guy isn't also a fine coach). Guy must be excited to coach such a great skater as Ahn. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming WC and Ahn's return to the ice.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 14:09:04 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 3, 2013 12:46:05 GMT -8
Ahahahaha! LOVE IT! Harlem Shake - Russia, National Team, Short-track
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 5, 2013 18:36:48 GMT -8
Congrats to Russia for winning GOLD in the 5000M Men's Relay on home soil at World Cup 5 - I'm sure they're hoping for a repeat performance next February! 2013 Speed Skating short track World Cup: Sochi: RUS wins Men’s 5000m RelayJust when it seemed like the Russians were done for, they managed to rally back in the lap to earn a close victory over the Netherlands team. Russia finished with a final time of 6:53.585.universalsports.com/video/2013-speed-skating-short-track-world-cup-sochi-rus-wins-mens-5000m-relay/
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Oct 3, 2013 15:01:32 GMT -8
There may be rivalry, but the actions of Ahn AND the Koreans in Calgary last year also indicates respect. When Ahn won his first post-injury gold medal (for Russia), he acknowledged the Korean fans who were present - and the Korean skaters were very friendly toward him, and seemed to be genuinely congratulating him. Short track speedskater Viktor Ahn set to return to South Korea as Russian athleteNick Zaccardi / Oct 2, 2013, 4:45 PM EDT One of the more intriguing non-American stories of the Sochi Olympics will come in short track speedskating.
There, a rivalry could brew between a South Korean-born Russian and the always powerful South Korean team.Read It All: olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/02/viktor-ahn-short-track-speedskating-south-korea-russia/
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 28, 2014 18:12:20 GMT -8
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Post by mtnme on Feb 9, 2014 9:31:23 GMT -8
Another nice article about Ahn Ahn Rejected U.S. to Skate for RussiaSOCHI, Russia — In 2011, the South Korean short-track speedskating star Ahn Hyun-soo suddenly became a Russian citizen, changed his name to Viktor Ahn and pledged to compete for his adopted homeland at the Sochi Games. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was said to be especially pleased.
But what if Ahn Hyun-soo had not become Viktor Ahn? What if he had become Joe (or Mike, or Bill) Ahn instead?
That seemingly unlikely scenario is not so far-fetched. When Ahn went searching for a new Olympic allegiance after an ugly falling-out with the South Korean skating federation, he and his father examined the naturalization process for top athletes in several countries — with the United States and Russia being the final two possibilities, said Jang Kwon-ok, a former Russian speedskating coach who helped recruit Ahn.
Jang, who has also coached the national teams of South Korea, Australia and the United States, said last week that Ahn, who will compete in the men’s 1,500-meter race on Monday, considered trying to switch to the American skating program but ultimately chose to go with Russia because it was an easier and more lucrative process.Lucrative indeed. Yeah, he knew our skaters are broke! Read the rest here: www.nytimes.com/2014/02/10/sports/olympics/ahn-rejected-us-to-skate-for-russia.html?_r=0
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 13, 2014 12:50:30 GMT -8
Deadspin usually has some entertaining ‘spin’… Oh, and I STILL continue to catch myself from posting Ahn news on our Korean thread - old habits die hard! So, Why Is There A Korean Guy On Russia's Speed Skating Team?Russia came away with a bronze medal in the men's 1,500m short track speed skating event today, and you may have noticed that the guy who brought that medal home, Viktor Ahn, doesn't look very, um, Russian. We can explain.Read it all: deadspin.com/so-why-is-there-a-korean-guy-on-russias-speed-skating-1519880660
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