Warrington Speedskater Headed To 2022 Winter Olympics Representing Team USA

WARRINGTON, PA — A 20-year-old Bucks County athlete is headed to Beijing this week to represent Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Andrew Heo, who grew up in Warrington, started skating in 2008 and can now call himself an Olympic speedskater.

Heo will be competing in short track speedskating after qualifying on the final day of the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. While he ranked third among Americans at all three distances during the trials in mid-December (though not by much), favorite Brandon Kim fell during a race and Heo won the final spot on the team.

"As I crossed the line last Sunday knowing I was an Olympian, the first thing I did was look and point to [my family] so they knew this was our moment," Heo shared on social media after qualifying. "The amount of dedication and sacrifices it took to make my dreams a reality, always pushed me to become better and do my best with whatever was put in front of me. Only my family and I know how much went into this dream of ours."

His older brother, Aaron Heo, previously skated at the world cup level, according to the Team USA website.

"For years, the family split time between Warrington and Maryland as the brothers continued to pursue the sport," Karen Price wrote in a 2021 profile of Heo. "But that meant that Andrew had very little opportunity for a social life, and without a close group of friends he admits middle school wasn’t easy."

Heo said he has now been taking a math class at the University of Utah, attending church groups, and relearning Korean (his first language).

"After I started going to international competitions, I made Korean friends and I’ve been talking to them trying to have conversations," he told Price. "I’m pretty good at writing and reading it."

Now, Heo has been sharing his Olympic journey with fans online. Team USA has met up in Los Angeles, where they're getting together before heading to Beijing to compete.

Short track speedskating events will take place on Feb. 5, Feb. 7, Feb. 9, Feb. 11, and Feb. 16, for those looking to keep up with Heo's progress at the games.

"[I]t means the world to me knowing I have so many people rooting for me," he said.

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