Michael Phelps isn’t the only Olympic medalist who loves to play poker now since J.R. Celski won a medal in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Celski was the first American to claim a medal in the Winter Games when he placed third in the 1,500 meter short track speed skating race. Celski’s third place finish was good for a bronze medal.
And while Celski’s bronze medal finish will no doubt be overshadowed by plenty of other athletes during the Winter Olympic Games, there is more to him than just speed skating. In fact, Celski has also been described as a very serious poker player who spends hours each week grinding. Celski hopes to balance his love of poker with his education when he attends the University of California later this year.
Sure Celski may never have poker pros and websites fawning over him like Olympic legend Michael Phelps, but the fact that Celski loves to play poker and has an Olympic medal is still interesting.
What’s even more interesting is that Celski’s career almost ended half a year ago when he suffered a terrible injury at the US trials five months ago. During the trials, J.R. Celski slipped and his blade went into his thigh cutting muscle and tissue along the way. After the damage was done, he could actually see his femur bone. If the blade had gone any deeper, doctors say that Celski could have died from rupturing his femoral artery.
Luckily, the blade didn’t go any deeper and Celski was able to get back on the ice once 60 stitches were used to sew up his leg. Following a remarkable recovery, he won a bronze medal just 5 months after the terrible injury. Now Celski is the most celebrated Winter Games athlete among the poker community.
