SPEED SKATING: OHNO: `IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE' AMERICAN STUMBLES, COSTING HIM SPOT IN FINAL.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

TURIN, Italy - Remember the fatalistic expression, ``that's short track''? Take it out of the freezer; the Winter Olympics are back.

The wholly unpredictable, rough-and-tumble ice-skating sport claimed its first big-name victim Sunday when U.S. standout Apolo Anton Ohno fell from contention after a bump with Chinese skater Li Ye, failing to qualify for the 1,500-meter finals at the Palavela Arena.

``I thought I was in great qualifying position,'' Ohno said of his six-man semifinal heat. ``Tactics were good, my feeling was good.''

With just more than one lap left, Ohno attempted to take first place from Ye, a questionable idea because the top two finishers would advance to the final and Ohno seemed safely headed for a second-place finish.

``We had a little bit of contact going into that corner,'' Ohno said. ``I don't know if it caused me to go forward or back on my skates, but I lost a lot of speed. We both had slipped and I just swung way too wide.''

He said he would need to look at replays to determine the sequence of events. It appeared to reporters he touched his left hand on the back of the Chinese athlete's skate, perhaps setting off the incident.

Ohno finished fourth, thanks to a disqualification, putting him in a pointless consolation race, where he was third after a late arrival on the ice.

``I didn't know I was in it,'' he said. He didn't fault Turin volunteers who tried to keep him from jumping onto the ice. ``They saw some crazy guy coming on the ice. They don't know. It could have been a fan.''

Ohno, 23, was on the winning end of short-track mayhem in the 1,500 four years ago, at the Salt Lake Olympics, when a late bump led to the disqualification of the apparent Korean winner, giving Ohno the gold medal.

``That's the best skater in the world,'' said Allison Baver, another U.S. teammate. ``It really breaks my heart that he didn't get a chance to show it.''

Added Ohno: ``It's disappointing. I wanted to make that final. I could have been there. I brought everything to the table. I was really looking forward to getting on the podium for the United States.''

Ahn Hyun-soo, one of Ohno's prime rivals, led a gold/silver finish by Korean skaters.

Ohno is scheduled to compete in three more races.

``My Olympics are far from over,'' he said. ``Hopefully, I can finish that perfect race.

``Today just wasn't my day. It wasn't meant to be.''

Paul Oberjuerge, [phone]

paul.oberjuerge(at)sbsun.com

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Photo:

Apolo Anton Ohno, right, stumbles in the 1,500-meter semifinal heat against Li Ye. Ohno's fall bumped him from medal-round contention.

Amy Sancetta/Associated Press