South Korea Clinches Short Track Women's Relay Gold After Dramatic Final-Lap Comeback

MILAN — South Korea's short track speed skating team captured gold in the women's 3,000-meter relay at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, overcoming multiple near-collisions and executing a stunning final-lap comeback to defeat host Italy.

The Korean quartet of Choi Min-jung, Shim Suk-hee, Kim Gil-li, and their teammates completed the 27-lap race at Milan's Ice Skating Arena, erasing doubts about the traditional powerhouse program that had gone without gold until the competition's closing days.

The race nearly ended in disaster midway through. With 15 laps remaining, Dutch skater Michelle Velzeboer fell while running second, her head striking Choi Min-jung who was trailing in third position. The incident evoked memories of the mixed relay final on February 10, when an American skater's fall took down Kim Gil-li and eliminated Korea.

Choi kept her composure, touching her left hand to the ice to maintain balance while avoiding the collision.

"I was really startled, but staying calm led to a good result," Choi said. "I skated thinking I had to take the lead no matter what, like running the 500-meter event."

Canada surged ahead while Korea recovered, but the team's relay exchanges proved decisive. Shim Suk-hee delivered a powerful push to Choi with three and a half laps remaining, propelling Korea past Canada into second place behind Italy's Arianna Fontana.

Kim Gil-li, nicknamed "Lamborghili," took the final leg trailing Fontana. With one and a half laps to go, she cut sharply to the inside lane on the straightaway, overtaking the Italian star and holding the position through the final corner.

"I skated thinking I absolutely had to finish first," Kim said. "The path to overtake was clearly visible. As soon as I received the baton from Min-jung, I thought 'I can handle this.' Fontana is an incredible skater, but I still saw the opening."

The victory marks Korea's seventh gold medal in the women's relay across ten Olympic competitions. The team reclaimed the title eight years after settling for silver behind the Netherlands at the 2022 Beijing Games. This is Korea's second gold at Milano-Cortina, following Choi Ga-on's snowboard halfpipe victory.

For Shim, the medal is her third Olympic relay gold, adding to her wins at Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018.

The triumph carries added significance given the fractured relationship between Choi and Shim. Text messages revealed in 2021 suggested Shim deliberately pushed Choi during the 1,000-meter final at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. The rift appeared irreparable, and the relay team's competitiveness suffered as the two skaters avoided contact during exchanges.

This season, Choi decided to set aside the grievances for the team's sake. The reconciliation produced immediate results, with Korea winning the first World Tour event. The renewed partnership proved essential, as Shim's powerful pushes during relay exchanges require the 175-centimeter skater to work closely with Choi.

Shim wept after crossing the finish line.

"There were so many difficult moments during Olympic preparation and in today's final," she said. "I was overwhelmed that we all endured and overcame those challenges together."