They still didn't feel right when he needed them again, either.

Yet Apolo Anton Ohno managed so well, you'd never have known.

The five-time Olympic medalist finished third in the men's 1,500 meters at the Utah Olympic Oval on Sunday, and saved his most thrilling move for last when he vaulted his relay team to a silver medal and saved the Americans from an otherwise unspectacular final day of the first short-track speedskating World Cup meet of the season.

"The relay was perfect," he said. "It was a great start to our season. . . . We definitely showed that we're right with the top group."

One day after crashing out of the 1,000 meters, Ohno dramatically raced past the Canadians with barely two laps remaining in the 5,000-meter relay, securing second place behind Korea - which set a world-record by finishing in 6 minutes, 38.486 seconds.

The Americans - Anthony Lobello, Travis Jayner, Jeff Simon and Ohno - also broke the previous world record, as did the Canadians.

But eclipsing the Koreans proved impossible.

Korea's Si-Bak Sung won the 500-meter individual race contested Sunday, while teammates Jung-Su Lee and Ho-Suk Lee held off Ohno on the final lap of the 1,500 meters.

Korea's Sae-Bom Shin won the women's 1,500, too, defeating world-record holder Zhou Yang and breaking up China's domination of the women's events.

The Chinese women claimed five of the nine available podium positions, with defending world champion Wang Meng winning the 500 in a world-record 43.125 seconds and anchoring the victorious 3,000-meter relay team.

Ohno was the only individual American medalist of the day, after Simon and Kimberly Derrick earned the first individual World Cup medals of their careers on Saturday. And though it was only the first race of a long season that will ultimately build to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he was thrilled to bounce back from the crash.

"That's what it's about, man," he said. "When you get knocked down, can you come back strong the next day?"

Not every American was so lucky.

Though two-time Olympian Allison Baver finished fourth and J.R. Celski fifth in their respective 1,500-meter races - the 18-year-old Celski was competing in his first major senior meet, after finishing fifth overall at the world junior championships last season - reigning national champion Katherine Reutter was disqualified from the women's 1,500 and teammate Alyson Dudek crashed in the relay, dooming the Americans to fourth.

The World Cup circuit continues next weekend in Vancouver, before moving to Asia for the rest of the fall season.

mcl@sltrib.com

Apolo Anton Ohno finishes third in the men's 1,500 meters and helps the American team to second place in the 5,000-meter relay.

* The Chinese women claim five of the nine available podium positions, with defending world champion Wang Meng winning the 500 in a world-record 43.125 seconds.