Sunday afternoon J.R. Cleski held a media availability to discuss his bronze-medal finish in Saturday night's 1,500-meter short track speedskating final. The following are highlights from the session:
On winning the bronze: "I can’t describe the emotions that went through my head these last five months and especially last night. It was a big blur to me. I stayed confident in myself and never had any doubts in myself."
On what he saw during the race: "I knew there was a lot of bumping going on. Usually in short track when something like that happens, it can be seen from pretty early in the race. There’s a lot of tension in short track. I was just fortunate to be on my feet at the end."
On the embrace with Ohno after the race: "I don’t think those moments really need words or explanation. It was a moment of joy and realizing that we both achieved something we wanted to achieve for a long time. I’m happy I got that chance to share that moment with him."
On his road to recovery: "I attribute my successes to all of my doctors. Eric Heiden was a key person in my recovery. The staff at the USOC who helped me get back on my feet. My coaches. My sponsors. My teammates. I’m very thankful for those guys."
On winning the bronze: "I can’t describe the emotions that went through my head these last five months and especially last night. It was a big blur to me. I stayed confident in myself and never had any doubts in myself."
On what he saw during the race: "I knew there was a lot of bumping going on. Usually in short track when something like that happens, it can be seen from pretty early in the race. There’s a lot of tension in short track. I was just fortunate to be on my feet at the end."
On the embrace with Ohno after the race: "I don’t think those moments really need words or explanation. It was a moment of joy and realizing that we both achieved something we wanted to achieve for a long time. I’m happy I got that chance to share that moment with him."
On his road to recovery: "I attribute my successes to all of my doctors. Eric Heiden was a key person in my recovery. The staff at the USOC who helped me get back on my feet. My coaches. My sponsors. My teammates. I’m very thankful for those guys."
