VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- A lot has changed since Apolo Anton Ohno used to visit Vancouver as a 12-year-old eager to improve as a speedskater.
The biggest reminder of how far Ohno has come since those days when his dad drove three hours north from Seattle comes in the final minutes before every race, when he skates past the coaches' box toward the starting line.
"I'm like 'I skated against you, you, you and you,'" Ohno said Tuesday. "I skated against all these guys, and now they're coaching athletes to beat me."
The short-track star returns this week for his third Olympics, poised to make U.S. Olympic history, needing just one medal to match speedskater Bonnie Blair as the most-decorated U.S. Winter Olympian.
Now 27, Ohno takes a lot of pride in staying competitive in a sport where two-year cycles cast past competitors by the wayside.
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Much of Ohno's evolution -- from five Olympic medals to victory on Dancing with the Stars -- has been done in the public eye. But the changes that allow him to remain a medal threat for require the trained eye of a tailor.
"I was 165 pounds in 2002, I was 155 in 2006 and now I'm about 145 and about two and a half percent body fat," Ohno said of the evolution of his sport and his waistline. "But I'm lifting more (weight) than I was -- actually about double -- than I was before the World Cups about three months ago."
Dropping 20 pounds from his 5'8' frame was the result of a strict diet and three-a-day workouts that have left Ohno leaner, lighter and "in the best shape of my life." It's all part of staying on top in a rapidly evolving sport.
"It feels good to stay in a sport that changes totally every two years," Ohno said. "Many athletes get left behind during those cycles of changes, but I've been lucky enough to be here and be solid throughout."
Solid enough to likely add to his Olympic haul in Vancouver, but Ohno has been steadfast in his resistance to talking about medals or passing Blair.
"Every single day when I train, when I prepare, when I eat, when I go to sleep, everything has been about no regrets. That's been my mentality towards preparing for these Olympic Games," he said. "I'd like to finish and cross the line of my last race and have absolutely no regrets, and smile regardless of the outcome. Because that to me means I have left absolutely every single thing I can out on the ice."
