His unique first name was given to him by his father, Yuki, who combined the Greek words "Ap," meaning "steering away from", and "lo," meaning "look out."
Began speed skating in 1995 at age 13. At the time, he was a swimmer and in-line skater and decided he "wanted to try something new."
His father raised him by himself, leaving a strong impression on the teenager.
Was a national champion and record-holder in indoor in-line skating.
Earned a state championship as a swimmer in the breaststroke.
After winning the 1,500m race at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City due to the disqualification of his South Korean opponent Kim Dong-Sung, he became an "enemy of the state" in South Korea and received death threats. In 2003, he declined to participate in a short track event in Seoul for security reasons. Two years later, he won two races in a World Cup event there.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning the 1,500m race in 2002 and the 500m in 2006.
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