Lim Jong-eon Wins Bronze in Men's 1000m Short Track at Milan-Cortina 2026

South Korean short track speed skater Lim Jong-eon claimed the bronze medal in the men's 1000m event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, securing the fourth medal for Team Korea at the Games.

Lim finished with a time of 1:24.611 in the final held at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy on February 13. He crossed the finish line behind Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands and Sun Long of China.

With this achievement, Lim joins Kim Sang-kyum (snowboard silver), Yoo Seung-eun (snowboard bronze), and Choi Ga-on (snowboard gold) as South Korea's fourth medalist at these Games. The bronze also marks Team Korea's first medal in ice sports at this Olympics.

Lim advanced to the final through dramatic come-from-behind performances in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. In his quarterfinal heat, he trailed in fourth place with two laps remaining before overtaking competitors on the outside lane to finish second behind van 't Wout. In the semifinals, he employed the same strategy, moving to the outside with two laps to go and ultimately passing van 't Wout on the final lap to win his heat.

Lim executed an identical game plan in the final. Starting in third position, he conserved energy at the back of the pack during the early stages before making his move on the outside lane in the final lap. He passed Roberts Kruzbergs of Latvia at the first corner and overtook William Dandjinou of Canada at the final corner to secure third place.

In the same event, Shin Dong-min finished fifth in his semifinal heat and placed third in Final B. Hwang Dae-heon was disqualified in the quarterfinals after receiving a penalty.