Asian Americans dominate Team USA speed skating

Courtesy Team USA

Speedster JR Celski made his third Olympic team.

ASAM NEWS

THREE OF THE FIVE speedskaters on the U.S. Olympic team are Asian/Americans.

Leading the way is two-time Olympic veteran JR Celski. He’s one of three Asian Americans to make the team at the Olympic Trials in Kearns, UT. The others are Thomas Hong and Aaron Tran. John-Henry Kruger and Ryan Pivirotto round out the team.

Celski, whose mother is Filipino and father is Polish, is a two-time Olympic veteran who won a pair of bronze medals in 2010 in Vancouver in the 1500m and 5000m relay and a silver in the 500M in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

“I’m ecstatic. A lot of up-and-down emotions. I really couldn’t get it together after the first fall today, but I turned it around and I told myself I have to come out and skate and do what I can, so I made it happen,” said Celski to Team USA.

Thomas Hong

Celski, who qualified by finishing second in the 1500 meter, went to the same middle school in Federal Way, Washington, as his teammate Tran. “We both went to the same middle school, went to the same high school and now we’re going to the Olympics together, so it means a lot,” Celski said. “I’m so happy for him, his family and everyone that supports him.”

“It’s amazing; he’s a great role model, great leader, and I’ve always been thankful that I’ve been able to skate with him,” Tran said about Celski who he considers his role model. “He’s just a great guy, great skater.”

Tran, 21, surprised the field by placing second in the 500M to qualify for the Olympic team.

Aaron Tran

The Olympics will be a homecoming of sorts for Thomas Hong. According to the Baltimore Sun, Hong, 20, was born in Seoul and moved to the United States with his family when he was 5.

He qualified by finishing fourth in the overall classification to earn a spot on the five member team.

“I’m tremendously excited,” Hong said. “I’m extremely familiar with Korean culture. I’ve lived there for parts of my life and I’m excited to go back.”

The 2018 Olympic Games will be held in PhyongChang, South Korea, Feb. 9-25, 2018.

(Views From the Edge contributed to this report.)