Back on track: J.R. Celski

U.S. short track speedskating star J.R. Celski looked down at his gruesomely wounded left leg and lost all hope for his ultimate goal-competing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

He dominated at the 2009 World Championships, and looked good at U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Short Track Speedskating in September.

But it only took a split-second, thanks to a slip during a race, to dash his dreams. Celski was competing in the semifinals of the 500-meter race at the Olympic Trials in Marquette, Mich., on September 12, when he fell and skidded hard into the boards.

The collision forced his right skate into his left thigh, slicing through his suit and penetrating his flesh down to the bone. Celski witnessed his dark red blood pooling quickly on the clean white ice, realized he was severely cut, and immediately felt lost and scared.

His family, packed in the stands, was also shaken. Celski silently prayed for them not to worry.

Celski underwent emergency surgery at Marquette General Hospital, requiring 60 stitches to close the seven-inch wound. U.S. Speedskating will still nominate Celski for the Vancouver Olympic team, as he finished second behind Celski's idol and Olympic gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno in the overall point standings.

Now, with a little more than 100 days until the start of the Winter Games in Vancouver, Celski is racing against the calendar to get back on track. He is undergoing intensive physical therapy at the U.S. Olympic Committee's Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., trying to come back in time for the Winter Games.

It's a remarkable recovery, as Celski's left thigh clearly bears the fresh, nasty scar where his skate blade slashed him. His muscles and tissues are healing well, and he's working to regain his form.

"I have total faith I will make it,'' said Celski, 19. "I just know it. This is the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life. I've never been hurt before like this, knock on wood. I never really thought about how tough I was or how I'd respond if something really went wrong. I now know I am so much stronger than I ever knew. I am going to make it through this because I believe in myself and what the doctors and therapists here are helping me accomplish.

"I will be in Vancouver. I still see myself contending for a medal. I just know that everything will be OK."

If Celski can regain his pre-injury form, he will be tough to beat.

He beat Ohno, the five-time Olympic medalist, at the Trials in the 1,000 meter race, with a personal-best time of 1:23.981. He finished second to Ohno in the overall point standings.

Celski, a native of Federal Way, Wash. (which also happens to be the hometown of Ohno), was on the short list of Vancouver medal contenders before his injury, thanks to his performance in 2009. He starred at the World Championships in Vienna in March, taking gold in the 3,000 meters and 5,000-meter relay. He also won third in the 1,000- and 1,500-meter races.

Celski's strong condition is one of the factors helping him recover ahead of schedule from a very devastating injury.

Dr. Bill Moreau, the Olympic Training Center's sports medicine clinic's manager, said Celski is two weeks ahead of schedule.

An average person with such an injury, which required 60 stitches to close, would still be on crutches and clearly limping, Moreau said.

Celski is riding a stationary bike, walking on his own, and recently added aqua therapy to his regimen. His care has come from many places, from the emergency room surgeons at Marquette General Hospital, to consultations with Olympic speedskating legend-turned-orthopedic surgeon Eric Heiden, to now at the Olympic Training Center.

Things are going well so far, but there is still a long road to go before Vancouver.

"He is amazing-there are no other words for J.R.," Moreau said. "He is so positive, he is never, ever down. He is totally focused on his recovery and the ultimate goal of being in Vancouver. He's been through a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort, but he's not let that get in his way or get him down. He's really inspirational. I hope people get to see him in Vancouver, hear his story, because he's an amazing athlete and an even better person.

"There are never any guarantees with an injury like this, but I will say this: whatever happens to J.R., it will not be because of a lack of effort. He is working so, so hard."

Celski will miss Grand Prix races through at least December. Moreau hopes to have Celski back on skates by Thanksgiving, gradually cranking up the intensity of his on-ice workouts.

Rehab is a delicate balance of pushing Celski hard enough to improve his conditioning and regain lost muscle mass without triggering a serious setback. He lost 10 pounds of muscle mass in the days after the injury, a consequence of his body compensating for not training as hard.

"It was pretty freaky, it just melted off of me," Celski said.  "I know I need to keep my cardio up in order to stay strong. I feel pretty good. I think I had a really good base coming in before this, so hopefully the rehab will keep me up there."

Members of the staff at the training center have put Celski through a daily myriad of therapies. The seven-hour sessions involve stretching out the leg, working on his cardio, massaging and cooling the muscles that were cut, and simulating the quick-burst movements of a speedskater.

"It's critical we keep J.R. in the zones that are needed for a world-class athlete in order to have his training be effective," Moreau said. "We use heart monitors, things like that to check his progress. So far, every indication we have is J.R. is on track."

Celski knows he has more than three months of hard work to ahead before he reaches Vancouver. A lot can happen, and every day brings new discomfort and challenges as he heals and trains.

All he can control is his effort. The rest has to be left up to fate.

"I try not to think about what happened that day, but sometimes I do, that's just being human," Celski said. "It was really scary and awful. But I'm still here. I still have my dream of winning a medal in Vancouver ahead of me. That's not been taken away from me. I have a lot of hope in my heart."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Joanne C. Gerstner is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.