| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | October 7, 1991 Seoul, South Korea |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 153 lb (69 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Potomac Speedskating Club (Arlington County, Virginia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | 8 (500m) 15 (overall) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Simon Cho (born October 7, 1991) is an American short track speed skater who was a member of the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
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Simon Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the United States as an undocumented immigrant with his parents from Canada at the age of four and settled in Chicago.[1] He became a United States citizen at the age of 11.[2]
Growing up, his parents worked long hours at a seafood takeout restaurant in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.[3] Cho mentions life was financially difficult and as a Korean-American immigrant stating, "My parents left for work before I woke up and came back home after I went to sleep. We had financial difficulties and there were times when we had no water or electricity for a few days because we weren't able to pay the bills. Other daily activities that others take for granted such as having a drivers’ license was difficult for my father".[1][2] Due to a display of skill in speed skating, his parents sold their business and spent their savings to move to Salt Lake City to train Cho for the sport after he graduated from junior high school.[1]
Cho began skating at the age of 3. He trained in Salt Lake City but moved back to Upper Marlboro, Maryland a year before the U.S. Olympic Trials, initially quit speed skating after failing to qualify for performance grants from the U.S. Olympic Committee and U.S. Speedskating which would have offset the unaffordable costs of $40,000 for training.[3][4] About his chances of making the Olympic team, Cho said, "When I say nobody thought I would make the team, literally nobody thought I would make it...Not even me".[3] However, at the age of 18, Cho qualified for the 2010 U.S. Olympic team. Apolo Ohno noted that Cho "basically made this team training on his own".[4] Cho cites Ohno and Shani Davis as mentors who helped him face challenges as being a person of color in the sport.[1]
At the Vancouver Olympics, he competed in the 500 meter and 5000 meter relay events. Cho earned a bronze medal in the relay after skating in the semifinals.[5]
After the 2010 Winter Games, he spoke with the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium and met with Senators Richard Durbin and Orrin Hatch to discuss the challenges facing immigrants and supports immigration reform in the United States.[2]