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Kearns • A quick straightaway from his second U.S. national title of the day, John-Henry Krueger felt the familiar pressure that accompanies an attempted pass on final corner in Saturday's men's 500-meter final. Thomas Hong went for it, but the 20-year-old Krueger anticipated it perfectly.
The desired pass from Hong, then in second place, wasn't the cleanest of attempts. So Krueger, currently the top-ranked American on the ISU short-track World Cup circuit, defended. A quick stiff arm both fended off Hong and propelled Krueger to another U.S. championship.
"It gets rough," he said. "Short track is becoming a contact sport."
He seems to be handling it quite well.
A year after winning three of the four events at the 2015 U.S. short-track championships at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Krueger got off to another blazing start on Day 1 of the 2016 U.S. championships, winning the 500-meter and the 1,500-meter events. This weekend's races determine which skaters represent the U.S. at the final two World Cups as well as the World Championships in Seoul, South Korea, March 11-13.
"Two wins — that's a good start," Krueger said. "I'd just like to finish the weekend with another two."
Olympic medalist J.R. Celski suffered a right knee injury in qualifiers, short-track coach Jonathon Cavar said Saturday, and is expected to be sidelined for the near future until the initial pain and swelling subsides. Veterans such as Celski and fellow Olympic medalist Chris Creveling missed the 2014-15 season due to injury or time away from the sport.
In the meantime, Krueger, from Pittsburgh, Pa., has stepped up.
"He's on top of his game," Cavar said. "He's skating smart. We need him tocontinue doing that. He's our leader on the ice right now."
Krueger's doing so in a unique way.
He'll fly back to South Korea following the completion of these races. He doesn't train with the national team. He's in his first year living abroad training with various speedskaters. Asked if he considers himself a leader of the men's short-track squad, Krueger said he looks up to his peers and those who he followed growing up.
"I'm just trying to get better at a sport I love," he said.
Kimberly Goetz finally got the best of Olympian Jessica Smith-Kooreman on Saturday. The Flemington, N.J., native beat Smith-Kooreman, who swept all four events in 2015, in the women's 500-meter final after finishing second in the 1,500-meter behind Smith-Kooreman.
"It's something that's been on Kimi's mind for a while," Cavar said. "She's been improving gradually, but consistently and putting together the skills necessary to race."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
2016 U.S. short-track championships
Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns
Day 1
Men's 500-meter final
1. John-Henry Krueger, 42.005
2. Keith Carroll Jr., 42.238
3. Chris Creveling, PEN/DQ
4. Thomas Hong, PEN/DQ
Women's 500-meter final
1. Kimberly Goetz, 44.069
2. Jessica Smith- Kooreman, 44.162
3. Katy Ralston, 45.544
4. Alexis Burkholder, 46.605
Men's 1,500-meter final
1. John-Henry Krueger, 2:22.869
2. Keith Carroll Jr., 2:23.021
3. Cole Krueger, 2:23.102
4. Ryan Pivirotto, 2:23.151
5. Aaron Tran, 2:23.316
6. Chris Creveling, 2:23.476
» Sunday: Day 2 of 1,000- and 3,000-meter semifinal and finals, start time: 9 a.m.