John Henry Krueger returns home to Peters Township
John-Henry Krueger shows his Olympic silver medal to Dana and Julia Anderson while their mother, Amy, looks on.
Olympian John-Henry Krueger , right, chats with Don Jentgens and his wife, Karen, while his children, Katie, 8, and Noah, 9, look on in awe of the speedskater who won a silver medal during the 2018 Winter Games held in Korea. Krueger was hailed at a "Meet & Greet" event hosted at the Peters Township Public Library.
John-Henry Krueger addressed the crowd during a welcome home celebration for the Olympic hero at the Peters Township Public Library.
John-Henry Krueger shows his Olympic silver medal to the crowd at Peters Township Public Library. Over 400 citizens turned out to congratulate the Peters Township native on his accomplishment.
Ninety minutes before Peters Township Public Library welcomed home John-Henry Krueger, Karsyn Mitchell, 9, sat quietly reading “The Dork Diaries” and patiently waited for the Olympic silver medalist to appear.
“I didn’t know he was going to be here, but I’m really excited to see somebody who has been on TV,” said Karsyn,
Karsyn, who is a swimmer, said she had to be at the library because her mother, Nicole, was tutoring. Mitchell teaches 8th grade English at Peters Township Middle School.
Of the event that drew 250 people, Mitchell was equally enthusiastic regarding the Peters Township native’s first public appearance since capturing a silver medal in the 1,000-meter short-track speed skating event during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“It’s a big deal and motivational for the kids because there are a lot of athletes in the township aspiring to do great things and to see somebody from around here succeed is super inspirational,”Mitchell said.”
Jackson Stone, 9, said he was thrilled to meet Krueger because he also is a skier. Stone is a member of the Hidden Valley team. He eagerly told Krueger how he recently placed fourth in one of his slalom events.
“Maybe I’ll be in the Olympics some day,” he said.
Whether or not that occurs, Stone’s mother thought it was a good idea to see the Olympian in person.
“Definitely,” she said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I’ve never met an Olympian let alone someone who has actually won a medal,” she added.
For nearly two-and-half hours, Krueger entertained the crowd with stories about his training, which caused him to leave the township at age 16 to practice with the best coaches, as well as about his Olympic experience.
One of the highlights he related was how surreal the medal ceremony was. When he finished his race, he was hurried to a podium at the site of the speed skate arena.
Under the impression that was when he would receive his medal, Krueger instead was handed a stuffed, plush toy. “Is this the medal?” he said.
Actually no, he discovered. The real medal ceremony took place an hour’s drive away in the mountains at the large stadium. When they draped the medal around his neck, Krueger said, “it was such a foreign, alien experience.” “I was more nervous getting my medal than racing in my event.”
During the “meet and greet” with his former neighbors, Krueger appeared relaxed and fresh from a respite from training. He answered additional questions about his triumphs and setbacks, as well as his drive to continue training to reach the top of the podium at the next Olympics. He also encouraged the crowd to make sure they “love” what they are doing.
“If you love your sport, then you will be successful.”
After the question-and-answer session, Krueger signed autographs and posed for pictures for more than two hours. He even allowed the young fans to touch his silver medal.
“It was cool,” said Noah Jentgens.
“I liked his medal,” added Jentgens’ sister, Katie. “It felt heavy.
“He was cool,” she said.
The Chapas family agreed.
“It’s inspiring to meet a hometown hero,” said John Chapas. “Perhaps others in the community will be inspired to go on and do great things, too.”
The event kicked off a community-wide celebration to honor Krueger.
At Monday’s upcoming Peters Township council meeting, Krueger will be presented with the “Key to Peters Township.” Council will be adopting a resolution honoring his achievement by naming the week of March 25 “John-Henry Krueger Week” in Peters Township.