After winning the women’s 3,000-meter relay in short track to claim her fourth career Olympic gold, Choi Min-jung of Seongnam City Hall will race the 1,500 meters on Feb. 21, aiming to set a new South Korean record for most Olympic medals across the Summer and Winter Games.
Choi is scheduled to compete at 4:15 a.m. Feb. 21 (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. A gold medal in the event could rewrite South Korea’s Olympic record book.
Choi won gold in the women’s 1,500 meters and the women’s 3,000-meter relay at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. At the 2022 Beijing Games, she won gold in the 1,500 and took silver in the 1,000 and the 3,000-meter relay. With the relay gold at this Olympics, she now has four Olympic gold medals and two silvers.
Her latest medal brought her level with Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speed skating) for the most Olympic medals by a South Korean athlete across the Summer and Winter Games, according to the report. She also matched short track great Jeon I-kyeong’s South Korean Winter Olympic record of four gold medals. If Choi wins the 1,500, she would set new national records for both total Olympic medals and Winter Olympic golds.
Choi returned to the ice to prepare for the 1,500 just 12 hours after winning the relay gold. After training, she told reporters, “Things didn’t go well in the early and middle part of the women’s 3,000-meter relay final, but I think I was able to get through it because so many people cheered for us.” She added, “I want to carry that good energy into the last event, the women’s 1,500, and make sure I get a good result.”
On tying Jeon’s record, Choi called her “a senior I respect,” and said, “Because so many seniors, including coach Jeon, set great records, younger athletes like me have been able to follow and take on new challenges.”
Choi said she is not focused on records. “I just want to trust myself as usual and do my best,” she said. “I want to finish this Olympics smiling,” she added, saying, “Just like I didn’t cry yesterday, I won’t cry tomorrow either — I’ll get a good result.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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