American speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno brings crowd to its feet in first race

<br>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ Apolo Anton Ohno didn't win a medal on the first night of short track speedskating at the Winter Olympics, but he still had the look of a star. <br><br>The 19-year-old sensation

Thursday, February 14th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ Apolo Anton Ohno didn't win a medal on the first night of short track speedskating at the Winter Olympics, but he still had the look of a star.

The 19-year-old sensation received a thunderous ovation when he stepped on the ice for his first competition of the Olympics _ even if it was just a qualifying event.

The furor didn't let up until Ohno glided across the finish line on one skate, leaving everyone else in the wake of his flowing brown hair.

``It definitely felt good to be out there, test the ice and feel the crowd,'' said Ohno, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1,000 meters Wednesday and led the U.S. team to a semifinal victory in 5,000 relay.

Ohno didn't have a chance to win any medals on the opening night of this crazy sport because it wasn't a final. Not that it mattered. The 15,394 fans here made it clear who they came to see.

``Oh-no! Oh-no!'' was the roar from the upper deck. Another fan held up a sign that said, ``Oh-No! Oh Yes!''

The 5-foot-7 Ohno, nicknamed ``Chunky'' for the powerful body that allows him to virtually lay on the ice in the turns, showed enough flair to leave everyone satisfied. Especially in the relay, where four teams with four skaters each circle the hockey-sized rink, a scene resembling a Los Angeles freeway at rush hour.

Ohno got an inadvertent poke in the eye from an Australian skater, and the race had to be restarted after a frightening crash sent a South Korean skater to the hospital.

Even so, Ohno electrified the crowd when he burst away from the Italian team with about seven laps to go. He got back in the relay race for the final lap, punching a fist in the air as he crossed the line.

Later, while the Americans were changing out of their skinsuits, teammate Rusty Smith pointed at Ohno and said, ``This guy is faasstt!''

Ohno is poised to become one of Salt Lake City's biggest stars, a medal contender in all four of his events. But he's also tainted by controversy, stemming from allegations by another skater that he conspired to fix a race at the national trials so a close friend also would make the Olympic team.

An arbitrator ruled there wasn't enough evidence to throw Ohno off the team, and his accuser withdrew the complaint.

It was not a good night for four-time Olympian Amy Peterson, who carried the U.S. flag in the opening ceremony. She was eliminated in the 1,500 semifinals.

``I knew it was going to be tough,'' said Peterson, who still has at least one more event to redeem herself. ``I just ran out of juice.''