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We know how fast Apolo Anton Ohno is on skates, but we were shocked to see how terrific he was on the dance floor.
Best known for making history at the 2010 Winter Olympics by becoming the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian with eight career Olympic medals, Apolo Ohno has been the top short-track speed skater in the U.S.
Among his tremendous accolades, Apolo is a three-time Olympian, one of only four Americans to win three medals in a single Winter Olympics, and is a 12-time U.S. National Champion. Born in Seattle, Washington, Apolo was raised by his Japanese father, Yuki, whom he credits for his success as he pushed him to pursue excellence on and off the ice when considering his future.
Launched into the national spotlight after winning two medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Apolo’s unique look, including his wavy hair and signature bandana, helped attract countless fans. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, he once again won over the hearts of Americans as he added three more medals to his collection, including a Gold in the Men’s 500m.
Beyond the Olympics, Apolo was ranked by Nielsen’s State of the Media: Year in Sports 2010 as third most effective athlete endorser, ranks tenth in Business Week’s Power 100 and is author of The New York Times Bestseller and top-selling sports biography, Zero Regrets: Be Greater Than Yesterday.
Passionate about being a positive role model for youth, Apolo is an Ambassador for health and wellness initiatives aimed at children. He is active in Ronald McDonald House charities and also involved in Nikkei Concerns, a leading provider for elder care services. Continuing to demonstrate his diverse talents, Apolo recently finished his first acting roles on Hawaii Five-O and in the SyFy film Tasmanian Devils. Apolo returns to the Olympics as a reporter for NBC during the 2012 Summer Games.
Karina Smirnoff
BACKGROUND:
Karina was born in the Ukraine before she made her way to the U.S. with her family at the age of 12. And speaking of her family, we're giving a great big shout out to Karina's folks for getting her started with ballet lessons when she was five. Think they had any idea what they started?!
At the age of nine, Karina was introduced to ballroom dancing and fell in love with it. After high school, she graduated from Fordham University but put her academic studies on hold to pursue her ballroom dancing career in the United Kingdom.
We first fell in love with Karina during Season 3 when she swung into a second place finish with partner Mario Lopez. Not bad for a DWTS rookie. The next season she finished fifth with Billy Ray Cyrus. The two would team up again after their last dance when Karina guest starred on Hannah Montana. And in Season 13, she went all the way, winning the mirror ball trophy with J.R. Martinez as her partner.
Karina and her former partner Slavik Kryklyvyy shared tremendous success winning the U.S. Championships and many other world titles and were ranked second in the world in the Latin division.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
• Five-time U.S. National Champion
• World Trophy Champion
• Asian Open Champion
• Gavin DeGraw
• J.R. Martinez
• Ralph Macchio
• Mike Sorrentino
• Aaron Carter
• Mario Lopez
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Floyd Mayweather Jr.
• Rocco DiSpirito
• Mario
• Steve Wozniak
http://beta.abc.go.c...st-announcement
