Teen Short Track Star Lim Claims Bronze in Dramatic 1000m Finish

"I was very nervous, but today I believed in myself and raced," said Lim Jong-eon (18, Goyang City Hall), the youngest member of South Korea's short track speed skating team, after winning the bronze medal in the men's 1000m final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on February 12 (local time) at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy.

Lim finished third with a time of 1:24.611, behind Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands and Sun Long of China. This was South Korea's first short track medal at the Games, breaking the team's medal drought.

Lim delivered a dramatic race. Running in last place, he swung to the outside lane on the final lap, moving up to fourth at the first corner. At the final corner, he edged ahead of Canada's William Dandjinou by a narrow margin and executed a photo-finish lunge to cross the line in third place.

After crossing the finish line, Lim embraced his coaches with tears in his eyes before breaking into a bright smile to savor his first Olympic medal.

"From the quarterfinals to the final, I raced with the mindset that I could do it if I stayed calm and pushed through the outside lane, no matter who took the lead," Lim said. "Even with half a lap to go in the final, I was pushed back to fifth place. I thought, 'Let's just go all the way,' squeezed out every bit of energy, and lunged at the finish to win the bronze."

He added, "At first, I wasn't sure if it was bronze or fourth place. When my coaches and teammates congratulated me, I got emotional."

Born in 2007, Lim is South Korea's rising star in short track. In February last year, he won the men's 1000m and 1500m titles at the ISU World Junior Short Track Championships in Calgary, Canada. Two months later, he topped the men's rankings at the 2025-2026 national team trials to secure his Olympic berth. His momentum continued at his senior debut in the 2025-2026 ISU World Tour, where he won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 1000m at the first event, and claimed gold in the 1000m at the fourth event.

Lim's rapid rise came through perseverance. In fifth grade, his right inner thigh was slashed by a skate blade during training. In his second year of middle school, a fractured right shinbone required surgery and kept him off the ice for nearly a year. After returning in his third year, he broke his left ankle that summer and had to rest for another six months.

Lim is competing in all short track events at this Olympics. Though South Korea failed to advance in the mixed relay, his debut medal signals a potential "golden race" in the remaining events. His next competition is the men's 1500m quarterfinals at 4:15 a.m. KST on February 15.

"Now my nerves have settled, and I've gained confidence in what I need to do," Lim said. "In the 1500m, I'll race without regrets, believe in myself just like today, and push for an even better result."