Simon

Jeff Simon rockets around the final turn in the Senior Men 500 metre quarterfinals during Day Two of the US Speed Skating Short Track Single Distance Championships or "Fall Trials" at Utah's Olympic Oval after already winning the 1500 metre final in a stunning photo finish with Travis Jayner and John-Henry Krueger.

Jeff is a great story in the sport. After a bad injury two years ago, Jeff worked his way back to competing at the elite level. Yesterday, in his first competition since the injury, he didn't just compete, he won. Sure, I was rooting for Travis because Travis is my fav, but if he wasn't going to win I was glad to see it go to Jeff. The way the crowd reacted, I'm guessing I wasn't alone in being thrilled by his return.

These races are important to the athletes as they are used in determining the twelve (six men, six women) skaters who will be placed on the United States World Team for this fall, the final prep season before the 2014 Winter Olympics and an important step toward making the future Olympic team.


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