Krueger’s humble post-Olympic journey continues
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
John-Henry Krueger playfully challenges Barrett Jones to a race during a “Meet & Greet” with the Olympian April 14 in Mt. Lebanon.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
John-Henry Krueger signs the back of the hockey jersey worn by Barrett Jones during a break in the action at a public skating event held April 14 at the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center. Krueger skated with patrons and signed autographs.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac Sports
Damien Gallant, 9, prepares to race Olympian John-Henry Krueger during a public skating session at Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
John-Henry Krueger lets Pierce Conley, 10, touch the silver medal that he won for speedskating during the 2018 Winter Olymipcs while their mothers, Audrey Conley and Heidi Krueger, share the fun experience.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
John-Henry Krueger and his mother, Heidi, review the autograph book that Amelia Dulaney has him sign during the Olympian’s recent appearance at the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
John-Henry Krueger signs Grayson Basil’s helmet.
John-Henry Krueger returned to the rink where it all started when the 2018 Olympic silver medalist made a public appearance April 14 at the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center.
During an all-skate, the 23-year-old Peters Township native raced would-be challengers, some who dream of becoming the next Sidney Crosby and signed autographs for many female figure skaters, who fantasize about being the next Tara Lipinski. He even squeezed in a private lesson.
Since winning the silver medal in the 1,000-meter speedskating event Feb. 17 at the Winter Games held in South Korea and competing in the World Championships, Krueger has been on the celebrity circuit. He has thrown out the first pitch at a Pirates game, appeared at a Penguins game, visited cancer patients at UPMC’s Children’s Hospital, earned the key to Peters Township and has been feted at other events such as the one in Mt. Lebanon, where at age 5, he took his first skating lessons from his mother, Heidi.
Amid all the attention, however, Krueger remains the humble, boy-next-door. One could not differentiate him from the other patrons at the public skating session until he slapped on his skates or pulled his silver medal out of his pocket.
“I don’t aspire to be a hero,” said Krueger. “I want to be who I am naturally.”
A low-key guy, Krueger professes to be “a normal dude.” He goes to the store for his own groceries and visits the dentist once or twice a year to get his teeth checked.
“I don’t consider myself a celebrity. Nor do I want to be,” he said emphatically.
Celebrity can bring its own negativity, particularly for the hero worshiper, Krueger said.
“I don’t think it is necessarily good to have a role model because everyone is human and no one is perfect. Everyone has flaws. So I try to look at the best in everyone and take away from that.”
While he acknowledges his accomplishment can provide inspiration, Krueger said he hoped the student he gave a private skating lesson to took away tips on how to perform better rather than just looking to him as motivation. It was special moment on the rink where Krueger learned to skate.
“If there are good qualities that I have that help inspire a kid, then that’s definitely not a problem. But, I don’t see it as my job to inspire or motivate. I think it is necessary for the children to be motivated themselves. My job is to take a kid who wants to learn, to be better and to help mold him into the skater that he wants to be.
“If a kid is not truly motivated or loves the sport, no amount of motivation or tough talk that I am going to give him is going to change that.”
Once he realized that he wasn’t “cut out” for hockey or figure skating, Krueger’s life changed. After he outgrew the competition at the Pittsburgh Speed Skating Club, 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 but he sat out the 2014 Sochi Games because of the swine flu. However, Krueger recovered, moved to Korea to live and train for two more years before he made his home in the Netherlands for his run-up to the 2018 Olympics.
His two weeks in Pyeongchang are much like the hectic schedule Krueger is experiencing today.
He flies out to Salt Lake City this week to be recognized by the Utah government. On April 23, he travels to Harrisburg where he will be feted by the governor and the legislature. On April 27, he will visit the White House.
“I’m excited to go to the White House because it’s the government recognizing the skaters’ accomplishments and also the country recognizing what you have done for team USA,” he said.
After a vacation trip to Florida with his girlfriend, Haini Kim, whom he met in Korea, Krueger will commence training for the 2022 Winter Games to be held Beijing. His goal is to reach the top of the podium in all his events.
“Hopefully five (gold medals),” he said enthusiastically. “That would be ideal but no one has done that in the history of the sport (of short track). Not from one Olympics. But, if I could do it, that would be something.”
His post-Olympic life then would be something, too. But, it likely would not impact who John-Henry Krueger is.
From all of his celebrity appearances to date, Krueger said the lesson that he has learned is neither new nor shocking.
“It’s definitely just to be yourself,” he said. “When you meet me, you get the real person.”
John-Henry Krueger’s Olympic-medal status has afforded him many opportunities from going to professional sporting events as the organization’s guest to visiting patients at hospitals. These guest appearances have had the profoundest impact on the Peters Township native.
“I have met some amazing kids. Brave kids,” he said of his trips to UPMC facilities.
“When you go into that center, you think that everything will be down low and depressing but the kids bring an amazing energy and sense of positivity and hope there. I genuinely had a great time. I didn’t have to put on an act. I was able to just converse with them and be comfortable around them and talk smack about who is winning in pool, talk to them about the Penguins, the Steelers, the Pirates, everything. They were very knowledgeable, very polite and positive.”
Krueger hopes his visits brought a bright, positive light to the patients.
“One of the biggest negatives for the kids there is just the repetitive schedule every day. It’s the same thing every day. In and out. Get a check-up on this time. You have to do this at that time. When I am able to go there, I kind of disrupt that schedule and maybe that can help them forget what’s going on for just an hour or two.”