MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) – Shani Davis gave himself a slim chance to make the U.S. Olympic short track team when he finished third – his best showing yet – in the next-to-last event of the national championships Friday night.

Apolo Anton Ohno won the 500-meter sprint, his sixth win in seven events at this meet and securing himself another individual race in Turin. On Thursday, he clinched a spot on the Olympic team and one of the U.S. berths in the 1,500.

The final race of the championships was the 1,000 later Friday. Davis needed to emerge from three rounds of racing with no worse than a second-place showing to have a chance to claim a spot on the 10-person short track team.

Davis, trying to become the first American speedskater to make both the short and long track squads for the same Olympics, reached his first “A” final of the championships by narrowly beating Jordan Malone for second in the semifinals.

The 6-foot-2 Davis stuck out his long right leg and got his blade to the line a mere 23-thousandths of a second ahead of Jordan Malone – good enough for a spot in the main final, where he started from the middle lane.

Needing a quick start because of his size, which prevents Davis from making the sort of tight turns and risky passes than come easier for smaller skaters, he was called for a false start and had to lay back the next time the gun went off.-

Davis started in third, fell back to fourth and dueled with Alex Izykowski on the final lap while Ohno and Misi Toth pulled away. Izykowski got past Davis on the backstretch, but the taller skater had the momentum coming off the final turn and edged Izykowski at the line.

Davis picked up 13 much-needed points, giving him 241/2 overall and bumping him from 10th to sixth in the standings. Only the top five make the Olympic team, and Davis trailed the fifth-place skater, J.P. Kepka, by a still-daunting 131/2 points.

Even if Kepka failed to score in the final race, Davis needed to finish no worse than second – worth 21 points. A third-place showing would give him another 13, not enough to overtake Kepka.

Tuesday night, Ohno wiped out on the final turn of the first 500, the only time he didn’t win through the first seven events. He had no such problems this time, gliding across easily to ensure he will be part of at least two individual races in Italy.

The soul-patched Ohno needed only to finish second in the 1,000 to clinch a spot in all three individual races at the Olympics. He has 191 points at the championships, showing just how far he has ahead of everyone else in the United States with a 1291/2-point lead on second-place Izykowski.

Two-time Olympian Rusty Smith was third with 551/2 points, followed by Anthony Lobello (42) and Kepka (38).

For the women, Allison Baver picked up her first win of the meet, beating overall leader Kim Hyo-jung in the 500. Both already had made the team, and both were assured of skating at least two individual races in the Olympics.

With one event left, Kim had 157 points and Baver 131. Kimberly Derrick was third (69), followed by Maria Garcia (57) and Caroline Hallisey (371/2). Kristen Biondo was still in contention with 281/2, but Amy Peterson’s bid to make her sixth Olympic team ended when she failed to advance in the 1,000 quarterfinals.

The 34-year-old Peterson came out of retirement in April, but was never much of a threat to the younger, better-conditioned skaters.

Trying to lock up his second straight trip to the Olympics, Kepka got off to a rough start. He was disqualified in the 500 semifinals, his last move drawing the ire of Ohno, who appeared to flick an elbow after they crossed the line to show his displeasure.

Then, in the consolation final, Kepka was DQed again for cross-drafting after he glided across the line in first.

He stormed off the ice, waving his arms in disbelief, and refused to talk with reporters.

AP-ES-12-16-05 2040EST