America’s Most Decorated Winter Olympic Athlete Raised by a Single Father

Yuki Ohno immigrated from Japan and set up a hair styling shop roughly 30 years ago, marrying an American woman and having a son. Within a year his wife was gone and he was struggling to raise an infant child by himself. Working long shifts to keep his business going, he had to hire daycare providers to take care of the little boy. But Yuki stayed as involved as possible in his son’s life, carefully choosing daycare providers and, as he grew up, keeping him involved in after-school activities so that he wouldn’t drift into delinquency like so many other neglected children – known as “latchkey kids” – of the 1980s and 90s.

After many ups and downs, the effort paid off, and now Yuki Ohno’s son Apolo has achieved Olympic fame and success. Apolo credits much of this to his father, who never gave up on him, fostering his talents and steering him in the right direction as only a caring father can guide a son.

At one point, when Apolo was 15 and entering a rebellious time in his ife, Yuki told him he would have to spend some time alone to decide for himself what he wanted. Apolo stayed in a remote cabin in the rainy, cold Pacific Northwest for eight days, pondering his future and inner desires. At the end, he called his father and said he was ready to go back to training in speed skating.

Following the angst of adolescence, Apolo went on to become one of the best Olympic skaters in the world, as attested by his wealth of medals and victories. In addition to his Olympic success, Apolo appeared on Dancing With the Stars, earning the show’s first ever perfect score in a samba routine with partner Julianne Hough. He has also been involved in charities in his native Seattle, raising funds for sick children and working for the Salvation Army.

Apolo knows how lucky he was to have a father like Yuki, but there must still be something bittersweet about his life. Being abandoned by one’s mother is a harsh burden to bear, and Apolo expresses no desire to see her or talk much about it. Perhaps, given women’s newly liberated status and frequent eagerness to break their marital vows and abandon their husbands, we will see more men reluctantly thrust into the role of single parents. We can only hope that they will have the wisdom and determination that Yuki Ohno displayed in his struggle to raise a successful son.

Although Michael Phelps’ mother was lionized in the press for raising an Olympic-caliber athlete as a single mother, Yuki Ohno has had a lower profile. However, the bond between Apolo and Yuki appears to be every bit as strong, and in contrast to Phelps’ mother’s case, Yuki never had anyone to pick up the slack for him — he was truly alone with his son throughout all the long years it took to raise him.

In Apolo and Yuki’s case, victory arose out of the tragedy of abandonment. How sweet success must be for the father-son team.

Tagged as: Apolo Ohno, single fathers, Winter Olypmics, Yuki Ohno