Going for gold! Apolo Ohno may be an eight-time Olympic medalist, but just how good is he when it comes to winter trivia? Us Weekly put the short track speed skater to the test. Watch the video above!
Ohno, 35, faced off against Us Weekly Correspondent Christina Garibaldi, who described Olympic-related words to the athlete. He then had to guess exactly what it was. The grand prize? His Olympic gold medal!
“The stakes are slightly elevated,” Ohno told Us. “If I run off very fast, you know the reason why.”
Unfortunately for Us Weekly, Ohno’s trivia skills are just as good as his skating skills, so he got to keep his gold, which he revealed he used to keep in his sock drawer.
“My friends would ask me, ‘Why don’t you have this in a glass case?’ the athlete told Us. “I always wanted to compete as if I didn’t have a medal.”
And while the all-time leading Olympic Winter Games medal-winner won’t be competing for gold next year, he will still be a part of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang as a commentator for NBC.
“I love the Winter Olympics, it’s obviously near and dear to my heart,” Ohno told Us. “Olympics are in my blood and if I can share that love and passion with people who are watching and get people excited about short track speed skating all over again, then I’m happy.”
Ohno, who is a brand ambassador for Hershey’s Gold, a new gold chocolate bar that was made in cooperation with the United States Olympic Committee, also has some advice for athletes heading to the Olympics for the very first time.
“I would say just to experience it,” the former Dancing with the Stars champ told Us. “Soak it up, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
