in the 1,000-meter short-track—this first
American man to win a silver medal in that
event since Apolo Ohno in 2010.
John-Henry found himself in medal
position throughout the race, firmly
cementing that position after a wild crash
took out half of the pack. “Before the fall
happened, I was in a good position. I knew I
was going to get a medal,” he says. “The fall
guaranteed it.”
As one can imagine, winning a medal at
the Olympics is a surreal experience.
“I experienced the full spectrum of
emotions a person can have. But I was more
nervous about getting on the podium than
I was before the race,” he says with a laugh.
“The ice is familiar for me. Standing on a
podium in front of a large group of people
was not.”
John-Henry’s parents, who accompanied
him to South Korea for the Olympic Games,
also felt a wide swath of emotions after the
win.
“Watching my son put that medal around
his neck…I just can’t put it into words,”
says Heidi. “At the medals ceremony, you’re
standing in this pen with all of these other
parents who might not speak the same
language, but who are all feeling what you’re
feeling. You’re all just so grateful that all of
your child’s hard work has paid off. You just
experience such joy that your child has done
what he’s set out to do.”
Two days after the Olympics, John-Henry
was back on a plane to the Netherlands and
then on to Montreal in March, where he
competed at the International Skating Union
World Championships. He ranked 17th
overall.
After a much-needed break this spring,
John-Henry will determine his future in
terms of training and competition. Many of
those decisions, he explains, will be based on
assessments made by US Speedskating.
John-Henry Krueger won the United States' first
individual speedskating medal since 2010.
For someone who likes to go fast, slowing
down can be challenging. “All I can do is
relax and wait to see what happens. Overall,
I had a great year with the Dutch team,” he
says. “It wouldn’t be terrible to return to the
Netherlands.”
John-Henry adds that the support he’s
received from his hometown has been
overwhelming. “Pittsburgh is a loyal sports
town, and it’s been great to see how much
the city came together to support me and
to recognize my sport.” As of press time, he
was scheduled to appear at meet-and-greets
around the area.
Unlike hockey and football, short-track
speedskating isn’t a popular sport in the
‘Burgh—or in the country, for that matter—
but John-Henry actually enjoys the below-
the-radar aspect of it. “It’s a relatively new
sport. It’s still in its infancy, and watching it
grow, evolve and change has been exciting,”
he says. “I may be biased, but I think that
short-track speedskating is an underrated but
incredibly interesting sport.” n
SHOTS
A
s the son of a professional figure
skating coach, John-Henry
Krueger was no stranger to the ice
rink. His mother, Heidi Krueger,
taught him and his older brother Cole to
skate at the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center when
they were still very young. It wasn’t long
before they were literally skating circles
around her, racing each other to see who
could go the fastest.
Neither son showed an interest in figure
skating or hockey. Cole’s speed, however,
soon caught the eye of a coach from the
Pittsburgh Speedskating Club.
“Cole was skating at a public session,
when a coach approached him and asked
if he’d ever thought of speedskating,” says
Heidi, a 1981 Mt. Lebanon High School
graduate. “He tried it, fell in love with it, and
then shortly after, John-Henry joined him.
He wanted to be like his big brother.”
The club quickly realized that the
brothers had a unique talent on
the ice.
A short-track speedskater,
John-Henry soon outgrew
Pittsburgh’s speedskating
scene. He began training in
Washington, D.C., with his
family making the commute
back and forth from Peters
Township several times a
week. John-Henry then traveled
to South Korea to train, and
eventually to the Netherlands,
where he currently resides.
During competition season, he
typically trains six days a week, six
to eight hours a day.
Cole is also living and training
overseas and competing at the
elite level, currently racing for the
Hungarian team.
On his way to the Olympics, John-
Henry fought his way to the top of the
pack, eventually becoming one of the sport’s
best athletes. He nearly competed at the
2014 Olympics but, in a heartbreaking twist
of events, became ill with the swine flu and
was unable to compete.
“It was devastating,” says Heidi. “John-
Henry was one of the top speedskaters in
the world, and he couldn’t compete. It was a
bitter pill to swallow.
“But, we’re Christians,” she adds, “and we
believe everything happens for a reason.”
Four years later, at age 22, John-Henry
would finally get to experience Olympic
competition at the 2018 Olympics in
Pyeongchang, South Korea. And he would
return to his hometown with a silver medal
On March 22 at the Peters Township Library celebration, trustees for the Washington County Community
Foundation (WCCF) announced they will be providing a $2,500 grant to the Washington County charity
of John-Henry's choice in his honor.
Pictured L to R: Edward C. Morascyzk, Chairman, Dorothy F. Tecklenburg, John-Henry Krueger, Tammy L.
Hardy and Thomas F. Hoffman.
PETERS TOWNSHIP
❘
APRIL/MAY 2018
45