From PEOPLE Magazine Click to enlarge
Apolo Anton Ohno couldn't have asked for a better 25th birthday. "It was perfect!" he told PEOPLE a few minutes after the judges' scores and viewers' votes earned him Dancing with the Stars' fourth-season title on May 22. "This is definitely my best birthday ever!" After 10 weeks of athletic leaps and sizzling cha-chas, Ohno credited his bubbly partner, Julianne Hough, 18. "We just match perfectly," he says of Hough, who will partner with first-season contestant Joey McIntyre for Dancing's summer tour, kicking off June 20 (other celebs performing are Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey and Joey Lawrence). "We have a lot of great chemistry when we dance." (Yes, both say they're just friends.) Soon it's back to the ice for speed skater Ohno, who's training for the 2010 Olympics. So how did winning Dancing's disco-ball trophy compare to his two gold medals? "It's different but almost as amazing," he says. "I'm so happy right now."

  • Contributors:
  • With Monica Rizzo/Los Angeles,
  • Michelle Tan/Los Angeles.

More From This Article

What's Next for the Runners-up?
Two things got Laila Ali through all those grueling practice sessions: Advil and a lot of ice. "There's a lot of wear and tear on my body," says the boxing champ, 29, who became more of a sensual, graceful beauty with every waltz and rumba alongside partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Her next challenge? Scheduling knee surgery (due to injuries from her years in boxing) around her wedding this summer to former NFL star Curtis Conway. The show "was fun, and it's something I can tell my grandkids about," she says. "But I've had enough dancing!"

Joey Fatone may not be taking home the trophy, but he's leaving the show with something even better: a healthier lifestyle. "My clothes are fitting so well, I'm going to start working out now," says the former 'N Sync star, 30, who has lost 29 lbs. (He's also on the NutriSystem diet.) He'll have a chance to keep up the cardio on Dancing's summer tour, where he'll reteam with partner Kym Johnson. His wife, Kelly, 30, and daughter Briahna, 6, will also join him on the road. "It will be lots of family fun for everyone," he says.

Champs from the Past Where Are They Now?
KELLY MONACO The General Hospital star, 31, is open to new gigs but "until something good comes along, I'm sticking with my day job!"

DREW LACHEY The former boy bander has signed on for an MTV pilot and is about to do a second Dancing tour. "I'm having fun," says Lachey, 30.

EMMITT SMITH The retired running back, 38, appeared on How I Met Your Mother and signed on with ESPN as an NFL pregame analyst.