Short Track Star Choi Min-jeong Announces Olympic Retirement After Record Seventh Medal

"Tears are flowing because this is my last Olympics. Let's call them tears of joy."

Watching junior teammate Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) cross the finish line first, "short track ace" Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) finished second and burst into tears from overwhelming emotions.

Relief at completing three Olympics without injury mixed with the realization that this was her final Olympic stage, and Choi's tears continued flowing through the medal ceremony and into her post-race interview.

On February 21 (Korea time), Choi crossed the finish line in second place behind Kim Gil-li in the women's 1500m final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics short track competition held at Milan Ice Skating Arena, claiming the silver medal.

With this silver medal, Choi now has seven career Olympic medals (four gold, three silver), surpassing Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery), and Lee Seung-hoon (speed skating, all with six medals) to set a new record for most Olympic medals by a Korean athlete.

Meeting with reporters in the mixed zone after the race, Choi continued her interview while repeatedly dabbing away tears with tissues.

"I feel so relieved to have competed without regrets. The tears despite feeling relieved are just from many emotions mixing together. Honestly, the tears come because I keep thinking this is my last Olympics," Choi said, announcing her Olympic retirement.

"This is my last Olympics. Actually, while preparing for this season, my knees and ankles were not good, and my heart was struggling a lot," she said. "From the start to the end of the race, I kept thinking this was my last Olympics, and after the race ended, I only thought 'this is really the end now.' I don't think you'll see me at the Olympics anymore."

However, Choi drew a line at retiring from competitive skating entirely. "Retiring from my athletic career is not something I can decide alone. It's something I need to coordinate with my team," she said. "For now, I've only been thinking about the Olympics. It's something to think about while resting for a while."

When asked what led her to decide this would be her last Olympics, she explained: "It naturally came to that thought. I had many aches and pains this season, and it was difficult in many ways to raise my condition. I've set many records on the Olympic stage. I feel like I've done everything I can."

On setting the record for most Olympic medals by a Korean athlete, Choi said: "Honestly, I can't believe it. I've already won seven, and I wonder if I really won all of them. I was lucky, and many things fell into place."

She named "right now" as her best moment on the Olympic stage. "If I think about the hard times, it gets hard again, so I'm just thinking about the good things and trying to end on a positive note," Choi said with a forced smile. "The best moment is now, when I set the most medals record."

"Looking back at my seven medals, today's 1500m silver is the most meaningful," she added. "I hope fans remember me as an athlete who continuously showed that Korean athletes are strong. Now that Kim Gil-li will follow in my footsteps, I think I can rest more comfortably."

Choi said: "I'm passing the ace title to Kim Gil-li. I also grew my dreams watching seniors like Jeon Lee-kyung and Jin Sun-yu, and I'm happy that Gil-li grew her dreams watching me and achieved them."