Much of the focus in men’s short-track speedskating has been on Apolo Ohno’s quest to become the United States’ highest decorated Winter Olympics medalist. Yet it’s his teammate, J.R. Celski, who had come the farthest in a very short amount of time, after winning the bronze medal Saturday night in the 1500m short-track final.
J.R. Celski Wins Bronze Medal Five Months After Gruesome Injury
↵During U.S. Olympic trials five months ago at Northern Michigan University, Celski took a hard fall into the padding surrounding the track. Any crash in short-track is dangerous, but this one ended with Celski’s skate lodged in his left thigh.
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↵↵"I had to pull it out," said J.R. Celski, of Federal Way, Wash. "I saw my femur. It's not fun seeing things you don't normally see in your body."
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This was the first competition for Celski since the gruesome injury, which required 60 sutures for surgeons to stitch his quad muscle back together. That he not only competed but won a bronze medal just five months later speaks to the incredible work he's put in over that time.
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