China short track skater Lin Xiaojun finished his first Olympics in eight years without a medal.
Lin skated Saturday (Korea time) in the men’s 5,000-meter relay B final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, closing out his competition.
He failed to reach the finals in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters and was left off the lineup for the mixed 2,000-meter relay, ending the Games without a medal.
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone, Lin said it was his first Olympics since Pyeongchang 2018.
“There were moments I wanted to give up, but short track was my whole life,” he said. “I’m disappointed I didn’t get the results I wanted, but the process of not giving up and pushing through matters. I did my best, so I have no regrets.”
Lin also addressed his relationship with South Korea’s Hwang Dae-heon, with whom he was involved in a past incident.
“I don’t have any particular feelings or thoughts about him. What happened is in the past,” Lin said. “I believe happier days are ahead, and I want to show that I’m doing my best as an athlete.”
Lin, the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic champion in the men’s 1,500 meters, was suspended for one year by the Korea Skating Union after an incident during training at the national team camp in Jincheon in 2019, when he pulled down Hwang’s pants.
He later chose to switch nationality to China in 2020.
In May 2021, South Korea’s Supreme Court issued a final not-guilty ruling on the allegation. Lin still could not compete at the Beijing 2022 Olympics because of an International Olympic Committee rule requiring athletes to wait three years after changing nationality before competing.
Hwang, whose potential head-to-head matchup with Lin drew attention in Milan, won silver in the men’s 1,000 meters and added another silver Saturday in the men’s 5,000-meter relay.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.