South Korea's Koo Kyung-min Finishes 10th in Men's 1000m Speed Skating

South Korean speed skater Koo Kyung-min placed in the top 10 in the men's 1000-meter event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Koo finished 10th with a time of 1:08.53 at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium on Feb. 12. The result fell 0.74 seconds short of his personal best of 1:07.79, set in November last year.

Making his Olympic debut, Koo started from the inner lane in the fourth pair and raced against Norway's Bjørn Magnussen. He clocked 16.27 seconds through the first 200 meters and 41.12 seconds at the 600-meter mark, building speed throughout. However, he faded in the final sprint and had to settle for 10th place.

American favorite Jordan Stolz claimed the gold medal. Stolz, who set the world record in the 1000m in January 2024, crossed the finish line in 1:06.28, setting a new Olympic record and winning his first gold medal in his second Olympic appearance. Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands took silver in 1:06.78, while China's Ning Zhongyan claimed bronze in 1:07.34.

Kim Min-seok, who became a naturalized Hungarian citizen, finished 11th in 1:08.59, one place behind Koo.