"Two-time Olympic champion" Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) continued her golden streak at the World Championships.
Kim clocked 1:28.843 in the women's 1000m final at the 2026 International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Championships held at Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Canada, on March 14 (local time), edging out Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands (1:28.852) by just 0.009 seconds to claim the gold medal.
Starting from the outermost lane 5 in the final, Kim trailed in third place until the final lap.
However, she unleashed her signature speed around the last corner, surging forward and stretching her skate across the line to finish first.
In the same event, Shim Suk-hee (Seoul City Hall) finished fourth in semifinal heat 2 and failed to advance to the final, while Lee So-yeon (Sports Toto) was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
In the men's division, Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) also produced a stunning late-race comeback in the 1500m final, taking first place with a time of 2:14.974.
In a final featuring eight skaters, Lim conserved his energy in the middle of the pack through the midpoint of the race, waiting for his opportunity.
With three laps remaining, as skaters began accelerating, Canada's ace William Dandjinou slipped and fell alone in a corner, creating an unexpected turn in the race.
Running in third place with one lap to go, Lim quickly moved to the outside as the leading skaters jostled in the corner, crossing the finish line first.
Thomas Nadalini of Italy (2:15.218) and Stijn Desmet of the Netherlands (2:15.327) finished second and third.
Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) and Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), who also competed in the men's 1500m, were eliminated in the semifinals.
