The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

Washington: Apolo Ohno

Sport: Speed Skating

Olympics: Salt Lake City 2002, Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010

It’s pretty difficult to imagine the sport of speed skating or the Winter Olympics in general without thinking of Apolo Ohno. History was almost quite different because at a young age, Ohno seemed way more interested in swimming than skating. His parents divorced when Ohno was very young and his father worked long hours as a hair stylist so he wanted to make sure his son always had an activity to occupy his time. It wasn’t until Ohno saw speed skating on TV during the 1994 Winter Olympics that he fell in love with the sport.

Ohno sharpened his blades and his skills the next few years, competing in a variety of events. He saw his fair share of good and poor results and he entered the 2002 Games without knowing what to expect. During his first Olympic action, Ohno brought home a gold and silver medal. He was just starting his success on the Olympic level and in 2006, he came to the forefront of American culture and winter athletes in general. Having a goatee, long hair, and bandana certainly had something to do with his rise to fame but his performances spoke for themselves. He took home three medals in each of the 2006 and 2010 Games and is the most successful Winter Olympian that the United States has ever seen. He also has won over 20 other world competitions and his post-Olympic career saw Ohno compete on Dancing With the Stars and doing commentary work during the 2014 Games.

Honorable Mention: Phil Mahre, skiing in Innsbruck 1976, Lake Placid 1980, and Sarajevo 1984