Kim Min-sun Finishes 14th, Vows to Return for Fourth Olympics

Speed skater Kim Min-sun, South Korea's leading female sprinter, broke down in tears after failing to reach the podium in her third Olympic appearance, expressing deep regret over her performance while vowing to continue her pursuit at the next Games.

Kim, 27, finished 14th in the women's 500 meters at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 16 at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium, recording 38.010 seconds.

The Uijeongbu City Hall athlete had improved from 16th place at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics to 7th at the 2022 Beijing Games, raising hopes for a medal in Milan. However, she failed to crack the top 10, following her 18th-place finish in the 1,000 meters on February 10.

"To be honest, I don't know where to begin. I feel 99% disappointed and unsatisfied," Kim told reporters after the race.

"This season was extremely difficult and frustrating to prepare for. The Olympics is a stage that's challenging even when you're 100% confident, but realistic thoughts weighed me down," she said. "I accept that managing those mental aspects is also part of being an athlete."

Kim pointed to her first 100 meters as particularly disappointing. "Except for my best seasons, the opening 100 meters has always been a problem. That time determines everything in the 500 meters, and starting poorly affected my entire race," she said. "From start to finish, everything was regrettable."

Fighting back tears, Kim reflected on her preparation. "After learning so much from previous Olympics and producing results after Beijing, I thought I could deliver a strong performance this time. I prepared even harder, but something was missing," she said. "I don't want to call it a disaster caused by overambition, but there was a bit of that feeling."

Femke Kok of the Netherlands won gold with an Olympic record of 36.49 seconds. Most top finishers were athletes Kim has competed against closely on the international circuit.

"With Kok especially, I'm curious what she did differently this season to improve so dramatically," Kim said. "I feel a mix of emotions—thinking 'she did it, so I can too' and 'I need to work even harder.'"

Kim, who ranked first in the ISU World Cup series women's 500-meter standings in the 2022-2023 season, made clear she is not finished.

"I'm not retiring yet, so I'll treat this as experience and run toward the next season and the next Olympics," she said, wiping away tears. "I'll keep challenging myself. Next time, I'll be 100% confident."