South Korean short-track skater Lim Jong-eon, who won a bronze medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he learned a lot from watching snowboarder Choi Ga-on.
Lim, who competes for Goyang City Hall, joined the national team’s official training session on Feb. 13 (Korean time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. After practice, he told reporters he returned to the athletes village after his race and watched Choi’s event.
“Even though she faced a big setback during the competition, she fought through it to the end and won gold. I learned a lot from that,” Lim said.
“Choi is younger than me, but she’s incredible,” he added. “I sincerely want to congratulate her and tell her she was amazing.”
Choi and Lim both won medals on Feb. 13, with Choi taking gold and Lim earning bronze.
Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park. She fell in her first and second runs and injured her knee, but delivered a clean third run to beat her “idol,” Chloe Kim of the United States, for the gold.
At the same time, Lim captured bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters short track. He stayed near the back in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final before surging late to reach the podium.
Lim now turns to the 1,500 meters. “Watching Choi made me think I need to do better,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure I can win gold in the 1,500 meters tomorrow.”
He added that he had been “very tired and nervous” until two days earlier but now feels more relaxed. “With the confidence I’ve gained, I think I can get good results in the remaining races,” he said.
The men’s 1,500 meters, Lim’s main event, will be held the morning of Feb. 15. He showed his potential by winning gold in the men’s 1,500 meters at the first International Skating Union World Cup of the 2025-2026 season, his senior debut.
Asked about strategy, Lim said he made his move late and went to the outside lane in the 1,000 meters, and has another plan for the 1,500 that he cannot reveal. “I’ll challenge for gold with the strategy I’m most confident in,” he said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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