Fil-Am Olympian on winning, being Pinoy

by Ging Reyes, ABS-CBN News, Balitang America

His Olympic victory was touted as a medical miracle. However, Celski says he’s now taking a year off from skating and is still undecided if he’s taking part in the next Winter Games.

“I’m still undecided. It would be dumb to say that I’m not gonna go to the next games, but I have other things I want to accomplish in my lifetime, maybe get into some kind of sports management of marketing, or international studies ‘coz I noticed when I traveled around the world that I really liked to get into other countries’ cultures,” Celski explained.

Celski’s mother, Sue, is a second-generation Filipino-American. His father, Bob is of Polish descent. He was born in Monterey, California but grew up in Federal Way, Washington. He still has some relatives in the Philippines and would like to visit his mother’s homeland in the future.

Asked about growing up Filipino, Celski says “I love the food, the culture, the music. Every time I go to my grandma’s house, she tries to teach me Tagalog. But I don’t know that much, if you ask me ‘kumusta ka’ I’d say mabuti.”

At the Winter Games, fans got a glimpse of his tattoo, which showed the sun and stars from the Philippine flag. Celski says he and his 2 brothers chose the symbolic image to represent brotherhood, as well as their roots.

>>Read Full Story>>>

Productive weekend for JR Celski in ISU Short Track Worlds

MEN’s 1500 m March 19, 2010
Prelim Rounds Heat 3: (1st) 2:24.373
Quarterfinals Heat 1 (1st) 2:21.379
Semifinals Heat 3 (1st) 2:16.489
Final Results
1 KWAK Yoon-Gy KOR 2:21.387
2 SUNG Si-Bak KOR 2:16.495
3 LEE Ho-Suk KOR 2:16.649
4 CELSKI J.R. USA 4 1 – 1 2:16.489
5 FAUCONNET T FRA 2:16.458
6 JAYNER Travis USA 2:18.694

500 m
9 CELSKI J.R. USA 42.271
from- usspeedskating.com: Celski, the lone US skater in the semifinals, was disqualified for impeding against Francois-Lois Tremblay of Canada while making an inside pass.

1000 m
1 LEE Ho-Suk KOR 1:26.675
2 KWAK Yoon-Gy KOR 1:27.958
3 CELSKI J.R. USA 1:27.515

5000 m Relay
1 KOREA KOR 6:44.821
2 UNITED STATES USA 6:46.205
3 GERMANY GER 6:48.288

3000 m Super Final
**unofficial results
1 LEE Ho-Suk KOR
2 KWAK Yoon-Gy KOR
3 CELSKI J.R. USA
4 HAMELIN Charles CAN
5 LIANG Wenhao CHN

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: 2010 ISU World Short Track Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria

Celski’s first public appearance post Vancouver

King 5 News

It’s a whole new world for JR Celski.

The now Olympic Bronze Medalist made his first public appearance after the games, and was greeted by a line out the door of the Issaquah 24-Hour-Fitness. Celski signed autographs, and posed for pictures with his fans.

Celski won the bronze in two short track speedskating events in Vancouver: the 1500 meter, and 5000 meter team relay. He’s now getting the attention that comes with success.

“I was walking through a store the other day and a kid said there is JR Celski! I’d rather not get that recognition but that’s cool. I get to meet people and talk to people and inspire them, and that’s what I am in this sport for,” he said.

>>>WATCH VIDEO HERE>>>

For all Filipinos, an Olympian named Celski

By Emil Guillermo, Inquirer.net

…Celski is a 19-year-old Seattle-area kid from Federal Way, whose mother, Sue, is Filipino. Celski’s dad Robert is of Polish descent and was stationed in Monterey, California, for the Army. It’s where JR was born.

Talk about hybrid vigor, the Filipino Polish thing produced quite a longganisa.

And quite an Olympian.

When you catch Celski, it’s usually by accident because you are watching him in short-track speed skating. Frankly, for the casual fan, the only reason to watch short-track speed skating at these games is because of Apolo Anton Ohno.

But is Ohno Filipino? Oh, no. Part Asian yes, but not Filipino. We still cheer him because of his greatness. No one in US history has eight Winter Olympic medals.

Between Ohno, and the women’s champ Katherine Reutter, the short-track competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics were immensely watchable.

But the future is this kid Celski, who looks like Ohno’s cousin. Again, it’s that half-Asian thing.

Celski is good, but not “Ohno-good,” not yet.

But let’s not give him short shrift. Celski is well on his way having already distinguished himself with two gold, a silver, and two bronze medals at the World Short-track competition. He’s won silver at the US Nationals. The kid’s a winner.

Celski bags bronze

by Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin

Filipino-American JR Celski bagged his second bronze medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympics after the United States finished third in the 5000m short-track speed skating relay Saturday at the penultimate day of the quadrennial event at the Pacific Coliseum.

The 19-year-old Celski, whose mother is a full blooded Filipina who hails from Isabela, joined Simon Cho, Travis Jayner and Apolo Anto Ohno in the crack US Team which clocked 6:44.498 to finish third in the racing event topped by Canada (6:44.224) followed by Korea (6:44.446)…..

Fighting out of Federal Way, Washington, Celski, who boasts of three stars and a sun (resembling the Philippine flag) nearly captured his second medal last time when he reached the semifinal of the 1,000m event, but was disqualified when he accidentally bumped off a Canadian rival in the final lap.

The 5-foot-8 Celski, a self-confessed Manny Pacquiao fan said he’s proud to have a Filipino blood in him, saying: “I hope the Filipino community knows that I’m also carrying them in the Winter stage.”

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE>>>

2010 Olympics Short Track Men 1500m Final

http://www.bonttv.com/video/505/2010-Olympics-Short-Track-Men-1500m-Final

JR’s Tattoo creates a buzz around the world

VIDEO: NBC Olympics WEBSITE: Official FACEBOOK: Unofficial Fan Page

After learning his disqualification during a tough semifinal race, JR Celski, unintentionally removed his shirt in front of tv camera exposing his giant tattoo seen by millions worldwide.

J.R. Celski’s tattoo is a “three stars and a sun” Philippine flag and “a coat of arm of Poland”  as shown on TV when the athlete removed his t-shirt. This is symbolic of his Filipino-Polish ancestry and created quite a buzz across the globe.

Related Articles: UK Todays News, Breaking Global News, Gather Sports, Buzzy Bloggers, Tech Banyan,

Celski bumped caused him disqualification

by Marv Duron, International Sports Examiner

…In the final lap, Celski was just about tied for second place and poised to reach the medal event finals for the Men’s 1500m in short track speed skating.

Francois Hamelin of Canada, bumped Celski from behind which caused a split-second reaction from the Filipino American and Federal Way, Washington native.

Television replays also appeared to show that the Canadian briefly held Celski which caused him to lose his position in the race.

After the steep turn, Celski fell out of position and the rest of the speed skaters advanced to the medal event finale.  It was the final lap and simply too late to catch up.

Judges ruled that Celski knocked the Canadian Hamelin to the ground, which earned the former a disqualification.  Additionally, it was ruled that Celski was not in qualifying position when the bump took place, albeit he was milli-seconds away from such a qualifying position (second place).

JR Celski advances to 1000 qf, Team finals

J.R. Celski advanced to the quarterfinals in the men’s 1,000-meter short-track speedskating event, which will be held on Saturday. Celski was second in his heat with a 1:25.113. Si-Bak Sung of Aouth Korea posted the fastest time in qualifying with an Olympic record 1:24.245.

The men’s team of Celski, Jayner, Ohno and Simon Cho advanced to the finals in the 5,000-meter relay, which will be held Feb. 26.

JR Celski proud to be Pinoy

by Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin

John Robert Celski, the Filipino-American speed skater who won a bronze medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympics last Sunday, is a die-hard Manny Pacquiao fan.

So like Pacquiao in boxing, Celski also dreams of lording his sport someday.

“I idolize Manny Pacquiao, and look up to him very much. I try to take the attitude he brings to the ring, onto the ice,” Celski, 19, said in an e-mail interview. “He (Pacquiao) is very humble and always smiling and proud of what he represents. This is what I try to do as well.”

Celski, youngest of three sons of a full-blooded Filipina who hails from Isabela, finished third in the 1,500-meter short-track speed skating event despite being a first-timer in the Games.

Although he’s officially carrying the US flag, Celski believes he’s also representing the Philippines, a tropical country with no snow, in the quadrennial event.

“I hope that the Filipino community knows that I am very proud to represent them on the winter stage this year, and the years to come,” said Celski, who is based in Federal Way, Washington.

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE>>>

Related Article: Inspirational Olympian,

Fil-Am skater bags bronze in Vancouver

by Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin

John Robert Celski gave the Philippines another reason to cheer about when he won the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter short-track speed skating event of the Vancouver Winter Olympics last Sunday.

While he’s representing the United States in the event, Celski would like to spread the word that he’s proud to have a Filipino blood.

“I would love for people to know that I am Filipino. I am very proud to be Filipino. My mother is full blooded Filipino which makes me half,” Celski said in an e-mail interview last month. “Ever since I was a little kid I have been around the Filipino culture as most of my friends are Filipinos.”

The gutsy skater from Federal Way, Washington is the youngest of the three sons of a full-blooded Filipina who hails from Isabela.

Celski, who boasts of a Philippine flag tattoo on his chest, said he’s great fan of Pinoy dishes like sinigang, lechon, and Longganisa, and of course, pancit, lumpia, and adobo.

>>>COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE>>>

Related Articles: Good News Pilipinas, Team Filipinas, Bakit Why

Meet J.R. Celski: A Filipino-American with the Heart of a Lion

by Jo-Ryan Salazar, Bleacher Report

One of the highlights for the USA wasn’t just Apolo Anton Ohno making history with his silver in the 1,500 meters in short track or the combo of Hannah Kearney putting an America sandwich on Canada’s Jennifer Heil in the women’s moguls.

For me, the biggest highlight of Day 2 was the heroics of J.R. Celski, a young Filipino-American. Now the reason why he get a fist pump to the sky from me is not because he shares similar initials (woot woot), but the fact that he not only won a bronze medal, but he literally went through the dark valley to earn his medal.

See, what people must realize about the best Olympians is that they need not win gold to be the best. They have to have the heart of a lion. J.R. Celski has the heart of a lion on his way to earning a bronze in Vancouver.

>>>COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE>>>

Bronze for JR Celski

In his first competition after a career treatening injury which required 60 stitches, 19 year old RJ Celski earned a bronze medal in the 1500 meter men’s short track speed skating. Few months before the the Olympic, JR took a hard fall and slid into the padding lodging skate blade to his left thigh.

Last night was the first competition for Celski since the gruesome injury, which required 60 sutures for surgeons to stitch his quad muscle back together. That he not only competed but won a bronze medal just five months later speaks to the incredible work he’s put in over that time.

More on JR Celski: CNN, OC Register, NY Times, Examiner.com

Official Website

Fil-Am Athletes Olympic Schedule

JR CELSKI

Event: Short Track

Saturday, Feb 13   NBC

17:00   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1500 m Heats

18:24   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1500 m Semifinals*

19:18    Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1500 m Finals* (MEDAL EVENT)

Wednesday, Feb 17

17:27   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Heats

18:35   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 5000 m Relay Semifinals**

Saturday, Feb 20

18:29   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Quarterfinals

19:28   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Semifinals

20:15   Short Track Speedskating – Men’s 1000 m Finals (MEDAL EVENT)

Friday, Feb 26

19:52   Shirt Track Speedskating – Men’s 5000 m Relay Finals (MEDAL EVENT)

*have to qualify to advance

AMANDA EVORA & MARK LADWIG

Event: Figure Skating Pairs

16:30   Figure Skating Pairs – Short Program

Ohno will face challenge from fellow American Celski

Washington Post

Apolo Anton Ohno will be looking for gold in an event that has brought him a mix of success, controversy, stumbles and, perhaps, gray hair, at the Olympic Games….

This year he could face a different challenge: a young American rival.

At last year’s world championships in Vienna, a pair of South Koreans took gold and silver in the 1,500 meters, and up-and-coming U.S. star J.R. Celski, 19, claimed bronze — one of four individual medals he won at the championships. Ohno finished fourth.

Celski also topped Ohno in the first of two 1,500 races at the Olympic trials in September. But Celski will be coming back from surgery after a skate blade sliced his thigh at the end of the trials.

–

Official website; follow JR on twitter.

Speedskating: Celski ready to complete comeback in Vancouver

By Meri-Jo Borzilleri,  NBCOlympics.com

Back at top speed, J.R. Celski is leaning into curves again on the short track speed skating oval during the final weeks of training for the 2010 Olympics.

He is no longer jittery skating in a pack. His body is strong, just like before the crash that left his right thigh sliced to the bone nearly five months ago.

Celski, in a Team USA blue speed suit, looks as if he’s never left. He’s skating as fast as before — just not as fearlessly.

“It’s a little iffy, I can say I’m a little scared of racing,” he said during a break between two-a-day training sessions three weeks before the Olympics open. “It brings back memories, of course. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE>>>

JR Celski is Unstoppable

By Sarina Morales, Nike Field Reporter

There is something special about this speed skater. Every barrier he has faced seems to be the driving force for him to work harder. His most recent obstacle was actually his first serious injury as a speed skater. Having your own ice skate cut a gash into your own leg is nothing to brush off. However, now three months since the accident, he has even impressed me with his progression. Oh, have no doubt: You will see J.R. Celski compete in the 2010 winter games!

>>>>COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE:  Unstoppable.>>>

US Short Track Speedskating Roster unveiled

From Universal Sports

As expected, Apolo Ohno and Katherine Reutter are in all three individual events plus the relay. Filipino-American J.R. Celski, who suffered a deep gash in his left leg at the U.S. Olympic Trials in September and did not skate on the World Cup circuit because he was rehabbing, will compete in Vancouver in the 1000m and 1500m.  >>>COMPLETE ROSTER HERE>>>

Photo by Getty Images (Universal Sports)

Olympic Christmas for JR Celski

The Winter Olympics are just a few weeks away and one of the stars of the Vancouver Games could be speed skater JR Celski. VIDEO HERE>>>

http://www.king5.com/on-tv/Olympic-Christmas-for-JR-Celski–80119312.html

Countdown to Vancouver: JR Celski

WATCH HERE:

Video 1:  Countdown to Vancouver (Universal Sports)

Video 2:  Celski Takes 1500 worlds (Universal Sports)

Speedskating: The next “Ohno” is a FilAm?

From Deseret News (UT)

J.R. Celski is being referred to as the “next Ohno”, a comparison he solidified with five medals at the 2009 World Championships. He was at the top of his game and on the verge of realizing his dreams when he was involved in a horrible accident.

Short track speedskating can be vicious, as athletes jockey for position, and Celski suffered a 6-inch cut, all the way to the bone, that looked as bad as it felt. Read Full Article>>>.

Winter Olympics: Speedskater Celski is ahead of schedule on comeback

From Seattle Times

J.R. Celski made remarkable progress from a horrifying short-track speedskating accident where his own skate blade severed his left quadriceps muscle to the bone during the Olympic trials on Sept. 12 Read Full Article>>>.

Photo by Getty Images.

WC Speedskating: JR Celski wins 1500m

2009, Dresden, Germany, ISU World Cup short track Speed Skating, Mens 1500m, American JR Celski gets his first win of the season.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfs-SVwbA3o