OPRF alum Emery Lehman makes first appearance of 2018 Olympics

Oak Park-River Forest High School graduate Emery Lehman participated in his first speedskating event of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang Sunday, placing 21st out of 22 in the men’s 5,000-m.

“Going into the race, the ice was good and the preparation was good,” said Lehman in a US Speedskating press release. “It’s on me to perform well and skate a little better than I skated.”

While the results were disappointing, Lehman was a reserve for the event and is truly looking forward to his chance at earning a medal on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the men’s team pursuit.

“[The 5,000-m] definitely has a special place in my heart just because it’s my individual race and it was definitely a goal,” said Lehman in the press release. “But now looking forward, the team pursuit in the bigger picture is more important.”

Lehman made his Olympic debut in 2014 when he was a senior at OPRF High School. He competed in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter long-track speedskating events. Now, he is studying civil engineering at Marquette University where he is currently taking a break from classes to represent the United States in men’s speedskating.

#Pyeongchang2018 pic.twitter.com/yStN0UkPfa

— Emery Lehman (@TheEmeryLehman) February 9, 2018

Feature image courtesy of Marquette University via Twitter