Gen Z Athletes Lead Korea's Medal Charge at Milan Games

MILAN — With three laps remaining in the women's 1,500-meter short track final at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 20, Korea's veteran Choi Min-jung and rising star Kim Gil-li were running first and second.

Just as Choi appeared headed for an easy victory, Kim accelerated and made her move. She completed the comeback with one lap to go, claiming gold and signaling a changing of the guard. The moment marked the end of Choi's reign as "Queen of Short Track" since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

Generational change emerged as the defining theme for Team Korea at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Athletes born between the late 1990s and early 2010s—Generation Z—have replaced veterans who previously led Korea's medal campaigns.

Kim stood at the center of this transition. She captured bronze in the women's 1,000m, then anchored a dramatic comeback victory in the 3,000m relay, reclaiming the title Korea last won eight years ago. Her gold in her signature 1,500m event gave her two titles at these Games.

Im Jong-eon emerged as the men's short track standout, earning bronze in the 1,000m and silver in the 5,000m relay.

In snowboarding, two high school students delivered breakthrough performances. Yoo Seung-eun took bronze in women's big air before Choi Ga-on captured gold in women's halfpipe—Korea's first-ever Olympic gold in snow sports and the delegation's first gold of these Games. Both athletes, born in 2008, are the youngest medalists at Milan-Cortina.

Figure skaters Lee Hae-in (born 2005) and Shin Ji-a (born 2008) finished eighth and 11th respectively in women's singles. While they missed the podium, their performances raised expectations for the 2030 French Alps Games.

Snowboard Emerges as New Powerhouse; Speed Skating Shut Out

Korea finished 13th overall with three gold, four silver, and three bronze medals. The team exceeded its performance at the 2022 Beijing Games (two gold, five silver, two bronze, 14th place) but fell short of its goal to crack the top 10.

Snow sports—traditionally a weakness—drove Korea's early medal push, with snowboarding leading the charge. Kim Sang-kyum's silver in men's parallel giant slalom started the run, followed by Yoo's bronze, before Choi's gold completed the sweep. Korea won its first-ever Olympic gold in snow sports and its first multi-medal haul from a single Winter Games—all from snowboarding.

Snowboarding's surge traces back 30 years to Seo Taiji and Boys, whose 1995 hit "Freestyle" featured a snowboard-themed music video that sparked domestic interest in the sport. Both Choi and Yoo were inspired to compete by parents who fell in love with snowboarding during that era.

Lotte Group, which chairs the Korea Ski Association, has invested over 30 billion won ($20.5 million) in skiing and snowboarding since 2014. The funding supported foreign training camps, joint sessions with other national teams, squad formation, and international referee development. For these Olympics, Lotte operated a local base camp for snowboard and freestyle skiing athletes and dispatched 15 support staff, including two equipment specialists.

Experts say Korea must break its decades-long pattern of "sport favoritism" and pursue broader, long-term investment to improve future Olympic results.

While snowboarding exceeded expectations, speed skating—long a medal factory alongside short track—suffered its first shutout since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Sprint standouts Kim Jun-ho, Kim Min-sun, and Lee Na-hyun, along with distance specialists Jung Jae-won and Park Ji-woo, all failed to reach the podium. The drought stems from an incomplete generational transition following the retirements of Lee Sang-hwa, Lee Seung-hoon, and Kim Bo-reum.

Korea Falls Further Behind Japan, China

Korea again trailed Asian rivals Japan and China. Japan finished 10th with five gold, seven silver, and 12 bronze—a record 24 medals for the country at any Winter Olympics. China placed 12th with four gold, three silver, and six bronze.

Japan maintains competitive depth across foundational sports including figure skating, snowboarding, and speed skating. China has climbed the standings through expanded snow sports investment.

Korea has relied on a concentrated strategy focused on ice sports, particularly short track and speed skating. Seven of Korea's 10 medals at these Games came from short track—meaning a stumble in that discipline could derail the entire Olympic campaign.

The problem: Korea can no longer claim short track supremacy. The Netherlands topped the short track medal table with five gold, one silver, and one bronze, intensifying pressure from rival nations.