South Korea Eyes Gold Rush as Short Track Speed Skating Begins at Milan-Cortina 2026

Short track speed skating's moment has arrived.

South Korea's most reliable medal contender at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics begins competition as the national team pursues its goal of "three or more gold medals and a top-10 overall finish."

Korean short track skaters open their campaign with the mixed relay quarterfinals at 7:59 p.m. Korean time on February 10. The semifinals and finals will be held the same day, with the final starting at 9:03 p.m. The women's 500m and men's 1000m heats are also scheduled for February 10, with knockout rounds beginning February 13.

While Korea's official target is two or more gold medals in short track, medal prospects exist in nearly every event based on current form. Both of Korea's gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics came from short track. Seven of nine events this time—men's and women's 1000m, 1500m, relays, and mixed relay—are considered gold medal possibilities.

Results from last December's World Tour events provide the basis for confidence. Korean skaters collected nine gold, eight silver, and four bronze medals across the four competitions. Lim Jong-eon (19, Goyang City Hall), Kim Gil-li (22, Seongnam City Hall), and Choi Min-jeong (28, Seongnam City Hall) won five individual gold medals combined. Relay events yielded four more golds: two in men's, one in women's, and one in mixed.

Lim Jong-eon won the men's 1500m in his senior debut at the first World Tour event and claimed two individual and three relay titles overall. Kim Gil-li won the women's 1500m at the third and fourth events, while Choi Min-jeong took gold in the 1500m at the second event.

Italy holds special significance for Korean short track. At the 2006 Turin Olympics, Korea finished seventh overall with six gold medals—all from short track. Ahn Hyun-soo and Jin Sun-yu each achieved triple crowns.

The mixed relay will cut the first ribbon and serve as a barometer for Korea's entire short track medal campaign. The event features two men and two women skating 500m each for a total of 2000m, offering a chance to assess top skaters' condition. Choi Min-jeong, with her explosive speed and experience, will lead off given the importance of the early race.

"I've focused intensively on start training," Choi said. "Other teams probably already know I'll be the starter, but it's not a big problem." She added: "Short distances are Korea's weakness, but we have a chance if we start well. A good start doesn't require special strategy—you just need to go as fast as possible and not get pushed around in physical battles."

Choi won bronze in the women's 500m at the third World Tour event and led Korea to mixed relay gold as the lead skater at the same competition. She was Korea's only 500m medalist across all four World Tour events.

With three gold and two silver medals from two previous Olympics, Choi needs one more gold to tie Jeon Lee-kyung's record of four Winter Olympic gold medals by a Korean athlete. Two more medals of any color would give her seven career Olympic medals, surpassing the six shared by Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery), and Lee Seung-hoon (speed skating) as the most by any Korean Olympian.

The mixed relay debuted as an official Olympic event at the 2022 Beijing Games. Korea fell during the quarterfinals and missed the podium, fueling determination this time.

Canada and the Netherlands are the primary rivals for gold. Canada, led by world No. 1-ranked skaters William Dandjinou and Courtney Sarault, swept 15 gold medals on the World Tour—more than Korea. The Netherlands collected eight golds, one fewer than Korea.

Before the mixed relay, Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, and Noh Do-hee (31, Hwaseong City Hall) compete in women's 500m heats. Lim Jong-eon, Hwang Dae-heon (27, Gangwon Provincial Office), and Shin Dong-min (21, Korea University) race in men's 1000m heats.