Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) (AP/Yonhap)
Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) advanced to the finals of the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, qualifying sixth as he pursues a second Olympic medal.
Lee posted a combined time of 1 minute, 26.74 seconds across two qualifying runs on Saturday at Livigno Snow Park in Italy to secure a spot in the knockout rounds.
In parallel giant slalom qualifying, 32 riders each make one run on the blue and red courses, with the top 16 on combined time moving on. The finals begin at 9:24 p.m. South Korean time in a single-elimination round of 16.
Lee, the silver medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, is aiming to rebound after a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Another medal would be South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal across the Summer and Winter Games.
In his first run, Lee raced against 45-year-old Italian veteran Roland Fischnaller, who has three International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup wins this season and leads the rankings. Lee clocked 43.21 seconds on the blue course, finishing fourth among the 16 riders on that course despite some shaky sections.
Switching to the red course for the second run, Lee rode alongside Zan Kosir of Slovenia and finished in 43.53 seconds, sealing his place in the finals on combined time.
Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) also advanced, placing eighth at 1:27.18. Cho Wan-hee (Jeonbuk Ski Association) missed out in 18th at 1:27.76.
In the women’s event, Jung Hae-rim (High1) finished 31st at 1:40.55 and did not advance.
Lee posted a combined time of 1 minute, 26.74 seconds across two qualifying runs on Saturday at Livigno Snow Park in Italy to secure a spot in the knockout rounds.
In parallel giant slalom qualifying, 32 riders each make one run on the blue and red courses, with the top 16 on combined time moving on. The finals begin at 9:24 p.m. South Korean time in a single-elimination round of 16.
Lee, the silver medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, is aiming to rebound after a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Another medal would be South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal across the Summer and Winter Games.
In his first run, Lee raced against 45-year-old Italian veteran Roland Fischnaller, who has three International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup wins this season and leads the rankings. Lee clocked 43.21 seconds on the blue course, finishing fourth among the 16 riders on that course despite some shaky sections.
Switching to the red course for the second run, Lee rode alongside Zan Kosir of Slovenia and finished in 43.53 seconds, sealing his place in the finals on combined time.
Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) also advanced, placing eighth at 1:27.18. Cho Wan-hee (Jeonbuk Ski Association) missed out in 18th at 1:27.76.
In the women’s event, Jung Hae-rim (High1) finished 31st at 1:40.55 and did not advance.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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