Korea Faces First-Ever Olympic Short Track Individual Gold Drought

Historic "no gold" disgrace or dramatic pride recovery in the final race?

Only two individual short track events remain at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics: the men's 500m final on February 19 (Korea time) and the women's 1500m final at 6 a.m. on February 21. No Korean skater advanced to the men's 500m final—none even reached the quarterfinals. Only the women's 1500m, the signature event for Choi Min-jung and Kim Gil-li, remains. As the final short track event of these Games, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final will all be held on the morning of February 21.

Korea's short track team has won one silver medal (Hwang Dae-heon in men's 1500m) and two bronze medals (Lim Jong-eon in men's 1000m, Kim Gil-li in women's 1000m) in individual events at this Olympics. A gold medal remains elusive.

The men's team, having concluded individual competition without gold, records its first gold drought since the 2014 Sochi Games—a 12-year gap. If the women's team fails to win gold in the 1500m, Korea will suffer its first-ever men's and women's individual gold shutout since short track became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Albertville Games. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, both of Korea's gold medals came from short track individual events, with Hwang Dae-heon and Choi Min-jung winning the men's and women's 1500m respectively.

Short track has been Korea's gold mine, accounting for 26 of the nation's 33 Winter Olympic gold medals. However, experts predict winning gold will become increasingly difficult after these Games. Competitors have leveled up significantly, making it harder for Korea to leverage its unique technical advantages.

The Netherlands, traditionally a speed skating powerhouse, now threatens Korea's short track supremacy in Milan. Jens van 't Wout swept the men's 1000m and 1500m, while Xandra Velzeboer claimed both women's 500m and 1000m titles—two double gold medalists. Canada remains strong, and host nation Italy poses a formidable challenge. Western skaters who seize early leads and use their superior physiques to prevent comebacks are neutralizing Korea's traditional strengths. The tactics of hanging back during early positioning battles before exploding with devastating speed in the middle and late stages no longer work.

After failing to reach the women's 1000m final, Choi Min-jung reflected, "Starting position has become crucial even in the 1000m." She emphasized the importance of securing inside lane assignments before finals and taking control early in races. In the 1500m, Choi will attempt to become the first short track skater in Olympic history to win three consecutive individual gold medals in the same event.