Peters Township welcomes home Olympic hero
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
John-Henry Krueger returned home a hero after winning a silver medal in speed skating during the 2018 Olympic Winter Games held Feb. 9-25 in PyeongChang, South Korea. During “John-Henry Krueger Week” throughout Peters Township in mid-March, the 23-year-old son of Heidi and Bryan Krueger showed off the medal he earned in the 1,000-meter race. During the welcome-home event held March 22 at the township library, Krueger also signed more 400 autographs for fans, who turned out to congratulate the Peters Township native on his accomplishment.
Eleanor Bailey
John-Henry Krueger shows his Olympic silver medal to Dana and Julia Anderson while their mother, Amy, looks on during a March 22 ceremony at Peters Township Public Library.
Eleanor Bailey
Olympian John-Henry Krueger, right, chats with Don Jentgens and his wife, Karen, while his children, Katie, 8, and Noah, 9, look on in awe of the speedskater who won a silver medal during the 2018 Winter Games held in Korea. Krueger was hailed at a “Meet & Greet” event hosted at the Peters Township Public Library during a March 22 ceremony.
Eleanor Bailey
John-Henry Krueger addressed the crowd during a March 22 welcome home celebration for the Olympic hero at the Peters Township Public Library.
The Peters Township Public Library buzzed with excitement March 22 as more than 250 patrons and employees awaited the arrival of John-Henry Krueger. The 22-year-old hometown hero was making his first public appearance since winning a silver medal last month at the 2018 Winter Games held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The library was decorated with red, white and blue bunting and balloons. Placed upon each reserved seat, for those that signed up in advance for the “meet and greet” event, was a Hershey Kiss, wrapped in silver of course, as well as a small American flag that fans waved upon Krueger’s grand entrance, down the library’s main staircase. Decorations also included posters with congratulatory signatures and messages from all the students from both Pleasant Valley and Bower Hill elementary schools.
By Harry Funk
Staff writer
hfunk@thealmanac.net
Interview with Olympic medalist John Henry Krueger
“This is so exciting,” said Diane Finnegan. The patron services coordinator of the library noted how supportive the family had been to the library, particularly Krueger’s mother, Heidi. “She has been a patron for years,” Finnegan said.
“It’s wonderful to recognize them not just because of that,” Finnegan continued, “but because they are members of the community.”
Colin Krueger, who races for Hungary but did not make this year’s Olympic team, noted of the crowd gathered to see and hear his brother speak that it was big.
“There are more people here than show up for Olympic Trials,” he noted of the competitions to decide the U.S. short-track speed skating team.
The event kicked off a community-wide celebration that culminated in John-Henry Krueger Week from March 25-April 2.
Since he took his first steps on the big ice at the Mt. Lebanon rink, where his mother serves as a professional figure skating coach, Krueger has devoted his life to skating. As he spoke to his transfixed audience, Krueger noted that he and his brother did not like figure skating and they weren’t “cut out” for hockey, so they tried speed skating. The Pittsburgh Speed Skating club offered plenty of competition.
“Age groups?” said Krueger in reply to one of the inquiries from the audience. “You just raced whoever was there,” he explained and noted that the competition ranged from age 6 to men in their mid-40s. “It’s a sport for anybody.”
Krueger wasn’t just anybody. He was beating the local competition so he started traveling to Washington, D.C., to train with world-renowned coaches. By age 16, he had moved to Salt Lake City to prepare for his first Olympic run, which ended in disaster as he fell ill to the swine flu and was unable to compete in the trials. Although he has some of the country’s best times, the U.S. Speedskating rules do not allow for exceptions. Thus, Krueger sat out the 2014 Sochi Games.
“That crushed my chances for making the team,” he said of the illness. “Getting sick and not being able to compete or qualify had to be my biggest setback.”
Krueger, however, rebounded. He upped the ante, too. He moved to Korea to live and train for two years before he traveled to the Netherlands for his run-up to the Olympics.
Passion propelled Krueger. He told the audience how important that is to success.
“Love what you do,” he said. “Make sure you love it. If you love your sport, you will be successful.”
For the better part of two-and-one-half hours, Krueger continued to entertain the crowd with stories about his Olympic experience. One of the highlights he related to his fans was how “surreal” the medal ceremony was.
When he finished his race, he was hurried to a podium hastily constructed inside the speed skate arena. Under the impression that was when he would receive his medal, Mr. Krueger instead was handed a stuffed, plush toy.
“Is this the medal?” he wondered aloud.
Actually no, he discovered. The real medal ceremony took place an hour’s drive away in the mountains at the large stadium, used for the opening and closing ceremonies.
When they draped the medal around his neck Mr. Krueger said, “it was such a foreign, alien experience.” He added, “Actually, I was more nervous getting my medal than racing in my event.”
During the “meet and greet” with former neighbors and residents of the community, Krueger appeared anything but nervous. He was relaxed and refreshed from a respite from training. After a two-and-one-half month break, Krueger plans to get back on the ice and commence training for the 2022 Winter Games to be held in Beijing.
“Right now,” he began, “I’m on my vacation time. Then training will start up for the next four years.
“The goal is to fine-tune my craft and get stronger than whatever I was back in Korea in the last Olympics. To improve on my racing strategy, my tactics and general health,” he added.”
After the Q&A session, Krueger remained and signed autographs. He also posed for pictures and allowed fans to touch his silver medal.
Among those seeking signatures and a chance to stand next to an Olympian were Tim and Robin Taylor of Peters Township. They had two hats signed by Krueger, including one that belonged to Robin’s father, Jim Takermori, who coached the judo team that competed in the 1988 Olympics held in Seoul.
In addition, Don and Karen Jentgens were on hand with their children, Noah, 9, and Katie, 8. They were thrilled with their brush with greatness.
“It was cool,” said Noah, who said he might want to be a basketball player.
“I liked his medal,” added Katie, who would play softball in the Olympics if she had her choice. “It felt heavy.”
Mr. Jentgens agreed. “It was great to have a hometown hero medal. We are so proud that he is from Pittsburgh,” they said.
Christine and John Chapas brought their children, Natalie, 9, and twin sons, William and Peter, 7, to meet Krueger.
“He’s a real nice guy,” Christine said.
“He inspires me to do something like that some day,” added Natalie.
“It’s inspiring to meet a hometown hero,” John concluded. “Perhaps others in the community will be inspired to go on and do great things, too.”
Jackson Stone, 9, was thrilled to meet Krueger because he is a skier. He is a member of the Hidden Valley team, racing in giant slalom and slalom events. He eagerly told Krueger how he recently placed fourth in one of his latest competitions.
“Maybe I’ll be in the Olympics some day,” he said.
Whether or not that occurs, Stone’s mother thought it was a good idea to meet the Olympian in person.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “I’ve never met an Olympian let alone someone who has actually won a medal.”