Why Apolo Ohno Yawns Before His Races

By Brittni Michaelis

Like many Americans, I found myself sitting at home on Saturday night watching Apolo Anton Ohno try to make history. Ohno was going for his record setting seventh Olympic medal, by trying to win a podium spot in his last and final race of this year’s Olympic Games, the 1000m short track speed skating race.

While I waited in anticipation, they started announcing the athletes and I couldn’t help but be annoyed and almost bored of the fact that Ohno was warming up and would continually yawn. It turned me off. Although, I quickly got over it when the race started and Ohno was competing against two brothers from the hometown favorite Canada, and two South Korean teammates. Ohno held his own and in a dramatic finished captured his third bronze and seventh overall medal of his career.

But after the race was over, I was again thinking why did this gifted athlete yawn before a potential record breaking race? Is he bored? Is he tired? He shows no emotion until he crosses each finish line, so maybe he is depressed. Looking at him warmup made me tired. Granted he won, and I did my own version of a fist pump when he crossed that finish line, because any American who competes in these Olympics, I’m proud of, but yawning, really?

The truth though finally came out. According to Yahoo! Sports, “A friend of Ohno’s – who asked not to be named because, er, “Apolo might not like it” – revealed that the yawning lets extra oxygen into his lungs in the seconds before bursting across the ice. Ohno himself then confirmed as much to Yahoo! Sports. “It makes me feel better,” he said. “It gets the oxygen in and the nerves out.”

Whatever Apolo needs to do to be focused and relaxed is okay with me. After all he is the Olympian and I am just the spectator.