KEARNS — The disappointment of narrowly missing a trip to the 2010 Olympics was still raw, when the controversial move of a teammate during the second-to-last race of the America Cup Final in March caused Jeff Simon to crash into the pads surrounding the ice.
The teammate was given a red card for the move, but it was Simon who paid the highest price. He left the ice on a stretcher and in agony.
It would be days before doctors would diagnose his broken back, and then it would be 11 weeks in a back brace for the Las Vegas native.
"Of course," Simon said when asked if he considered giving up short track. "Especially after last year. Tough people last; tough times don't."
Not only did he come back to the ice, he's channeled the anger and disappointment into an impressive array of World Cup hardware. Simon has earned a gold, two silvers and two bronze medals in all three of the World Cup competitions this season. He also won the 1,500-meter men's final in the U.S. Championships at the Utah Olympic Oval Saturday night with a time of 1:26.685. He finished second in the men's 500, with teammate Simon Cho winning that event.
"It's good to come back this year and do well, especially with my teammates and picking up more medals than we've ever picked up," he said. "It's not just me but the whole team. It just shows we're getting better."
He said that his success surprises him just a little.
"I am," he said. "But I was incredibly motivated. More than anything, I was angry."
He credits his doctors, coaches and teammates for his recovery and success — in addition to his desire to redeem himself. With their help he said, "I came back a better man. Mad."
Simon feels he has something to prove, and just like he has all season, he's proving it with impressive racing.
"I wanted so bad to get back and show," he said pausing, "well, leave no doubt that I am who I am. I've sacrificed a lot to be here."
He said his success "is huge for me."
A number of other athletes have dealt with injuries and other obstacles in the months since the Olympics.
Katherine Reutter, who won the 1,500-meter race with a time of 2:24.601, came in third in the 500 meter when Alyson Dudek fell on the last turn of the finals and skidded into Reutter's path.
"I'm fine, but I'm a little worried about Aly," said Reutter, who leads the U.S. women in points. Reutter had hip surgery after winning a silver and a bronze medal in Vancouver. Despite missing four months of training, she is skating better than ever.
"In China, it was the best I have ever felt in my career honestly," she said. A bout of food poisoning on the way home made for a rough couple of days, but she felt good Saturday night in what is a critical competition for the U.S. athletes.
They earn points for every round of every race. Those points determine which athletes will compete in the second half of the World Cup season, as well as World Championships.
"This is whether we get to train next year," she said. "This is whether we get funding next year, and most importantly if we get to race at World Championships. When you're here, it's very important that you're smart."
Which is why she ignored her coach during the 1,500-meter race when he told her to make a move with seven laps to go.
"I think he was telling me to move up and I was thinking, 'No way!'" she said with a sheepish smile. "I want to wait. I don't want to move up too soon."
Reutter waited until the second-to-last lap to make her move, but said she felt certain about her strategy.
"You can't have mistakes today," she said. "So I wanted to make sure than when I went to the front, that it was a move that I was confident I could make."
There are two more races on Sunday starting at 11:20 a.m. Admission is free.
For complete results go to usspeedskating.org
e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com