Apolo Anton Ohno was born on the 22nd May 1985, in Seattle, Washingto, and is an American short track speed skater, with eight Olympic medals under his belt. During his sixteen-years-long career, he also won an assortment of other medals, including eight gold medals in World Championships. After his retirement in 2013, Apolo continued working as a motivational speaker, philanthropist, actor, and a competitor in the television show “Dancing with the Stars”.
Have you ever wondered how rich Apolo Ohno is as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Ohno’s net worth is as high as $10 million, an amount earned through his successful career in speed skating, as well as from various endorsements.
Apolo Ohno Net Worth $10 Million
Apolo Anton Ohno is of mixed heritage, since his father, Yuki Ohno, is a Japanese-born American, while his mother, Jerrie Lee, is of European descent. After his parents’ divorce, Apolo was raised by his father, whom he has always cited as the most important figure in his life, as he urged him to develop his talent for swimming and skating. According to Apolo Ohno’s profile on NBC Olympics, his father is also the one who decided on such an unusual name, which he chose because apo in Greek means to “steer away from” while lo means “look out, here he comes”.
While Ohno proved to be equally talented as a swimmer and skater, he decided to focus on the latter after he watched speed skating during the 1994 Winter Olympics. Only twelve years old at the time, he focused all his energies on the sport, managing to become the youngest skater to attend the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center at the age thirteen. He took his first gold medal (for 1500 m) in 1997, when he also won the overall US Senior Championship. Afterwords, Ohno struggled with uneven training and weight gain for some time, but made a comeback in 1999 during the World Junior Championships, where he placed first in the 1000 m and 1500 m.
Apolo’s first major recognition at the 2002 Olympics was clouded by the controversy over the final ruling. He became the gold medalist for 1500 m only after his opponent, Kim Dong-Sung from South Korea, was disqualified; many considered that decision a bad call, and Ohno even received death threats as a consequence. However, in the following years, he cemented his status as a top athlete by winning the World Cup championships in 2003 and 2005, as well as one gold and two bronze medals at the 2006 Olympics. He then rounded off his Olympic medals at eight in total by winning one silver and two bronze medals in the 2010 Winter Games. During that year alone, he earned $1.5 million through endorsement deals with Alaska Airlines, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Omega, and Procter & Gamble, which increased his net worth significantly.
Apolo Ohno became a household name as a competitor in the fourth season of “Dancing with the Stars”, which he won with his professional dancing partner, Julianne Hough. Ohno returned to “Dancing with the Stars” for its All-Star 15th season, when he was partnered with Karina Smirnoff, but this time he was eliminated during Week 9. In recent years, Ohno decided to pursue an acting career on television, starring in one episode of “Hawaii 5-0” in 2012, as well as in the TV movie “Tasmanian Devils” (2013). He also filmed the documentary called “On Thin Ice”, which will premiere in 2017.
Regarding his personal life, there are no public details of any relationships. Apolo Ohno is dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle, especially among young people. He is also known for his charity work, having raised money for such causes as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and The Salvation Army.
