America’s Only Short Track Olympic Medalist Competes for Hungary

At age 16, John-Henry moved to Salt Lake City to train with the American national team, spending three years there but missing a chance to compete in the 2014 Olympics after contracting the swine flu. Krueger next lived in South Korea, where short track is practically the national sport, and later the Netherlands, joining his American compatriots for only a few months each year on the World Cup circuit.

A few months after the 2018 Olympics, Krueger moved to Budapest, this time joining Cole, who was already skating for Hungary. John-Henry was given a passport after a few months and now skates in the nation’s red, green and white.

In a brief interview after a recent training session in Beijing Krueger, 26, described a lifestyle in Hungary that borders on monastic. “The team and I kind of live, breathe and eat skating,” he said. “It’s just on the ice. Again and again and again.”

Heidi described a typical week for her sons as consisting of two-a-day practices: Warm-ups, two hours on the ice, an afternoon meal, rest, weights or dry land training and finally media obligations. “My boys are home, fed, and usually in bed by 7:30 every night,” she said. “You have to understand, skaters at this level, it doesn’t matter what country they’re in. That is their day.”

Everybody describes Krueger as driven, even by the high standards of Olympians. He does not have much time to pursue his few hobbies, which include video games and drinking tea.

“The kid just loves speedskating,” said J.R. Celski, who competed for the United States in three Olympics, including in 2018 with Krueger. “I think that was it for him. That was his bread and butter.”

The focus has seemingly driven Krueger to the top of his sport, but also into a conflict with U.S. Speedskating that precipitated his defection to Hungary.