Russian short track speed skater Viktor Ahn wants to compete in one more Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in his birth nation in 2018, according to Russian media.
Ahn, 29, said he would probably decide in 2015 or 2016 if he would strive for a third Olympics in 2018 and that it would be dependent on his health.
Ahn was the most decorated male athlete at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, winning three gold medals and one bronze. He also won three golds and one bronze for South Korea at Torino 2006 before switching to Russia.
If Ahn competes at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics in his home nation against skaters from his birth country, he would be one of the most scrutinized athletes, perhaps the most scrutinized.
NBC Olympic short track analyst Apolo Ohno said last year that Ahn would be warmly received at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“He’ll be an absolute superstar,” Ohno said. “I think they’ll get over [that he competes for Russia]. He’s an anomaly.”
Ahn is two gold medals shy of the career record for a Winter Olympian shared by Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and cross-country skier Bjorn Daehlie.
Ahn won the overall World Championship in 2014, one month after the Sochi Olympics, and was shut out of the medals in all events at the 2015 World Championships.
