U.S. Speedskater Admits To Sabotaging Rival’s Skates

American speedskater Simon Cho says what he did was “wrong” when he yielded to what he claims was persistent pressure from a coach to tamper with another skater’s blades at the World Short Track Team Championships in Poland last year.

“Tampering with someone’s skates is inexcusable,” Cho told NPR in his first interview about the incident. “And I’m coming out now and admitting that I did this and acknowledging that what I did was wrong.” The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune also spoke with Cho earlier this week after the NPR interview.

Cho, 20, won a bronze medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and is the reigning world and national champion in the 500-meter short track event. He was considered a good prospect for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but the tampering incident clouds his future.