Year-ender: Five best performances of 2014

VIKTOR AHN (SPEED SKATING)

Victor Ahn celebrates after winning the men's 5000m relay final with the Russian team at the Short Track events in the Iceberg Skating Palace at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games in Russia in this February 21, 2014 file photo. [Photo/EPA/How Hwee Young/IC]

Eight years after his previous Olympic appearance, Viktor Ahn competed under a new name and for a new country but was the same dominant force in short track as he skated to three gold medals at the Sochi Olympics for Russia.

Ahn took his Olympic haul to a short track career record six golds with wins in the 500m, 1,000m and 5,000m relay after being a triple champion for South Korea as Ahn Hyun-soo at the 2006 Turin Games.

The 29-year-old missed the 2010 Olympics due to a knee injury and a falling out with the Korean Skating Union that led him to switch allegiance to Russia in his drive to become short track's most successful Olympic racer.