Three-time Olympic medalist J.R. Celski is taking a break from short track speed skating but expects to return to the sport. He just doesn’t know when.
Celski, 23, said he will take the next couple months to plan his post-skating future, perhaps taking strides into film production or advertising. But he’s not ready to hang up his skates.
“I know that I’m going to take a little time off, regain my bearings, rest the body, rest the mind,” Celski said last week. “I love skating. I really foresee that in my future. I’m just not sure when.”
Celski was part of the U.S. 5000m relay team that won silver in Sochi, the only U.S. long track or short track medal of the Olympics. He also won bronze medals in the relay and the 1500m at the 2010 Olympics.
Celski took a year off from the sport after 2010, collaborating on a documentary on the Seattle-area hip-hop scene, famously featuring Macklemore.
He returned, broke a world record in October 2012 and came to Sochi as an individual medal contender. His best individual finish in Sochi was fourth in the 1500m.
Celski finished second overall behind Russian Viktor Ahn at last month’s World Championships, which were taxing mentally as well as physically after coming off the Olympic high.
“It’s hard to keep the mind into it, really,” Celski said. “A lot of us are very worn out from the Olympic experience and going there and preparing our whole season, really, to perform at the Olympics.”
Celski also said he liked the idea recently floated by International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta to merge long and short track into one 250m oval sport.
“I’ve heard about that for years now, so it’s nothing new to me,” Celski said. “It’s progressive and might bring more attention to the sport.”