Kearns • John-Henry Krueger crossed the finish line victorious, both fists flung into the air, upon winning the sixth — and last — men’s 1,500-meter World Cup qualifying race in six hours. The 22-year-old who grew up outside Pittsburgh, Pa., is considered one of America’s top short-track speedskaters, so winning a 1,500-meter event in a weekend packed with U.S. World Cup team qualifiers isn’t all that of a stunner.
The talented skater once called the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns his home track, and technically, it still is. But Krueger has charted his own course toward perhaps more podiums, more World Cup medals, and perhaps an inaugural Olympic appearance at the upcoming PyeongChang Games in South Korea in February.