J.R. Celski Biography

Fast Facts

• Started skating at the age of 3 years old
• Has the same hometown, Federal Way, WA, as Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno
• Switched from in-line skating to speedskating after watching Ohno in the 2002 Olympics
• Moved to California for training at age 14 with his brother Chris
• Won four medals and placed second overall at the 2009 World Championships
• Qualified for the 2010 U
• S
• Olympic team at trials, but sliced his thigh with his skate in a fall at the end of the competition, requiring surgery and months of rehabilitation
• Won two bronze medals, one in the 1500m and one in the 5000m relay, at the 2010 Winter Olympics games in Vancouver
• Skated the first sub 40 second 500m at the World Cup in Calgary in 2012
• Filmed a documentary on the hip hop scene in the Northwest called The Otherside (2013)
• Won a silver medal in the 5000m relay, at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia
• Along with his two brothers, has a tattoo of his ethnic roots, the Filipino sun and stars surrounding the Polish eagle