South Korea is projected to win three gold medals and finish 14th in the medal standings at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, according to a Canadian sports analytics firm.
Shorview Sports Analytics (SSA) provided medal projections to Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, forecasting Korea to win three gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.
Korea finished 14th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics with two golds, five silvers, and two bronzes. The country placed 7th at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics with five golds, eight silvers, and four bronzes. Korea's best Winter Olympics performance came at the 2010 Vancouver Games, where it won six golds, six silvers, and two bronzes to finish 5th.
By event, Choi Ga-on of Sewha Girls' High School in women's snowboard halfpipe and Kim Gil-li of Seongnam City Hall in women's short track 1500m were identified as gold medal contenders. The women's short track 3000m relay team is also projected to win gold.
Silver medals are expected in men's short track 5000m relay and for Choi Min-jung of Seongnam City Hall in women's 1500m. Bronze medals are projected for the mixed short track 2000m relay and for Choi Min-jung in women's 1000m.
Men's four-man bobsled and women's curling teams are projected to finish fourth, with potential to reach the medal podium depending on their form on competition day.
If Choi Ga-on wins the halfpipe event as projected, it would mark Korea's first Winter Olympics gold medal in skiing history. She would need to defeat "world star" Chloe Kim of the United States, who is seeking her third consecutive Olympic title.
Norway is projected to top the medal standings with 14 golds, followed by the United States with 13 and Germany with 12. Host nation Italy is expected to win seven golds for 7th place. In Asia, Japan is projected to finish 11th with five golds, while China is expected to place 12th with four golds.
The Winter Olympics opens Thursday local time and runs through February 22.