VANCOUVER, British Columbia � Apolo Anton Ohno hardly seems burdened by the weight of Olympic history.

As he circled the track time and time again at Pacific Coliseum on Friday, he couldn�t seem to stop yawning. Even as he prepared to practice the harrowing relay exchange � which looks something akin to the finish of a stock car race, complete chaos with all sorts of bumping and drafting � Ohno�s mouth was agape for several seconds, as if he could barely stay awake.
Then, suddenly, he swerved onto the track, pushed off on those short, powerful legs and � whoosh! � he was gone.
Next stop, the record book.
When short track begins Saturday night, Ohno will try to become the most decorated Olympic skater in the history of this thrilling, high-speed sport. He already has five medals from Salt Lake City and Turin � no one has ever won six.
That�s not all. Ohno also will be trying to tie the mark for the most medals ever by a U.S. Winter Olympian, and he�ll have four chances in the next 2� weeks to zip right on by Bonnie Blair, who won five golds and a bronze over her three Olympics.
Ohno has two golds, a silver and two bronze medals.
�I am ready. No regrets, no fears, no hesitation,� he tweeted after the hourlong workout, his final prep for the 1,500 meters. �Enjoying every minute. I�ll give my all for USA. And smile every step of the way.�
He flashed a smile for reporters Friday but didn�t take time to stop. He�s got his game face on now, and he hopes his next comments to the media will come with another gold medal hanging from his neck.
�Apolo is such a great example for everyone, whether you�re an athlete or a student or a businessman because he just has this amazing drive,� teammate Katherine Reutter said. �He will not give up. He will do everything to his best and his fullest. That�s why he�s a champion. Whether he gets one more medal or not � and I think he will � he�ll always be a champion and a legend in our sport.�
While the 27-year-old Ohno is the oldest member of the U.S. short track team and finds himself competing against teenagers, he�s still on top of his game. He�s a medal contender in all four events, ready to go up against stiff competition from Canada�s Charles Hamelin and the powerful South Korean team.
�This year, he�s way better than any other year,� said U.S. national coach Jimmy Jang, a close friend of Ohno off the ice. �His condition is perfect now.�
Not that he�s the same skater. After the Turin Games, Ohno took some time off � including a winning stint on �Dancing With The Stars� � then set out to completely alter his style of skating with help from Jang. It was difficult to pull off, persuading the body to do things it wasn�t accustomed to doing, but Jang said it was a necessary step to keep up with mostly younger skaters.
Whereas Ohno may not have the power to simply blow by someone on the final turn, he�s much more aware of positioning, angles and setting up his opponents for the pass.
�We changed everything for technique and body weight,� Jang said. �He was a power skater before. Now he�s a technical skater. Totally different.�
While Ohno jokingly calls himself �Grandpa� and seems not to have a care in the world, no one works harder or gets more out of his talent.
�I think he�s just smarter,� Reutter said. �I know this World Cup season, he had really hard training all the way through. But you can see it in practice. He�s going faster, he�s going longer. All the training and work is really paying off. Maybe what he�s lost in age he�s gained in wisdom and strength and strategy.�
Even though the Americans are counting on one of their deepest teams in years to keep up with the Koreans, Chinese and Canadians, there�s little doubt who stands apart � and not just because he�s the only member of the U.S. team wearing a red helmet.
�He�s always been the leader,� said up-and-comer J.R. Celski, who�s only 19. �He�s been the big dog, the face of short track.�
Ohno hasn�t lost any of his drive, either. A few months ago, when he felt Jang�s focus was lagging a bit, he emailed the coach a picture of them hugging after Ohno won gold in the 500 at the Turin Games.
�You need to wake up again,� Ohno quipped. �We need another gold.�
While he�s indicated this will be his final Olympics, Jang sees no reason for Ohno to hang up his 18-inch blades.
�I told him, �We need one more Olympics,�� Jang said.
Now, if he can just stop yawning.
�Isn�t that funny?� Reutter said. �I�ve asked him about it and he says he doesn�t even know he does it. Hey, if that�s what gets him ready to go, more power to him.�