Kim Yun-ji Wins First Winter Paralympic Gold by a South Korean Woman

By SEONGJUN JO Posted : March 8, 2026, 19:12 Updated : March 8, 2026, 19:12
Kim Yun-ji greets the crowd after crossing the finish line in the women’s sitting biathlon sprint final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics in Tesero, Italy, on March 7 (local time). [Photo=Yonhap]

South Korean Paralympic prospect Kim Yun-ji, 19, made history by winning the first Winter Paralympic gold medal by a South Korean woman.

Kim won the women’s sitting biathlon sprint 12.5-kilometer race at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Paralympics on Saturday (Korea time) at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Italy. She finished in 38 minutes, 00.1 seconds, beating Germany’s Anja Wicker to the line.

The gold was the first by a South Korean woman in an individual event in Winter Paralympic history.

It was also South Korea’s first Winter Paralympic gold in eight years, since Shin Eui-hyun won in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The medal was South Korea’s first gold at an overseas Winter Paralympics.




* This article has been translated by AI.

Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.