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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Apolo Ohno easily advanced through the preliminaries of 1000m short track on Wednesday, staying on course to surpass Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian.
After skating his individual race, Ohno helped the United States advance to the 5000m relay final with a second-place finish in the semifinal heat.
Ohno, who won his sixth Olympic medal in the 1500m Saturday, was third most of the way in the 1000m. Then, in the closing laps, he moved up to second before taking the lead over China's LIANG Wenhao.
"I just don't want to leave any room for error. I don't want to leave any microsecond of time that I feel like could make a difference toward a medal," Ohno said. "For me, I'm doing the best I can for every single day. That's how I am. I'm here to do a job. I'm here to represent the U.S. the best that I can."
Short track skater Apolo Ohno enjoys competition more than any result.
Images from the men's 1000m short track heats on Day 6 in Vancouver.
American J.R. Celski, the bronze medalist in the 1500m, joined Ohno in reaching Saturday's quarterfinals of the 1000m. Their teammate Travis Jayner wasn't so lucky. He was in second when he hit a block with his right skate in the final turn and lost his balance, costing him a chance to move on.
During the 5000m relay, Ohno pumped his right fist as he crossed the finish line, knowing he had secured another opportunity to add to his medal collection.
"It felt great," he said. "I helped my relay team qualify for the final, which is the most important thing. Hopefully we'll come back and compete as hard as we can."
The Americans finished second to South Korea in their heat. France was advanced into the final by the referees after an Italian skater lost his balance in a turn and took out a French skater, putting both teams hopelessly behind.
