'It's the biggest challenge of my life'

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The dancing fame, the gold medals, the motivational speaking -- at the gym, it all seems like a lifetime away.

That's where Apolo Ohno goes about the not-so-glamorous business of grinding his body to greatness.

"Champions are made when nobody's looking," Ohno said. "The public only gets to see me once every four years. They don't realize I've been doing this six, 12 hours a day, every day for the past four years, eight years, 12 years of my life."

Watch Ohno's workout routine

They are long days riding thin blades on a short track for a champion hell-bent on willing himself back to the top one last time.

He's been to the top of the mountain a few times. Can he go again? Can he do it?

"Oh, of course," his coach said. "Of course. No problem."

"I can say there are days when I say, 'Man, this does not feel good. I'm hurting.' But I know why I'm still doing this sport. I know why I'm continuously training every single day, and my heart's still in it. I still love it. It's the biggest challenge of my life."

But a record sixth Winter Olympics medal won't be carved only on ice; it'll be sucked up and gutted out in the gym where the 26-year old champion puts himself through leg workouts that make the rest of us go weak in the knees.

And when you start to wonder how it is that he's even still standing, he turns up the intensity with his leg jumping exercises. You start to realize why this man's dreams always seem to come true. He wants it more.

"The sky's the limit, man. Break all boundaries," Ohno said.

He follows "Dancing with the Stars" when he can, and even made an appearance on the show Monday night. We showed him a video postcard from his old partner, Julianne Hough.

"I love Apolo. I miss him so much," she said. "Honestly, no offense to Chuck (Wicks), but he was my favorite partner, I think."

Watch Ohno's full interview

"That's sweet of her to say," Ohno said.

And she was dancing with her boyfriend!

"I know, and he was very good," said Ohno.

Maybe after she gets past her cowboy singer, she'll come back to Ohno, back to her roots.

"You know, I keep telling her we need to host our own show, like the young 'Regis and Kelly.' She says, 'I'll do it, I'll do it. And I'm like, 'Yeah, we'll see,"' he said. "It'd be fun."

But for now, he's in Salt Lake City to crank up the machine one last time, to get his head right, to light a fire in his belly.

"When the curtain is down and nobody's looking, that's when I'm here. That's when I'm working hard. That's when I'm outside when it's snowing and nobody else is working out. And that's what I enjoy."