South Korea’s Jeong Hye-seon finishes 24th in Olympic women’s singles luge, misses final run

South Korea’s Jeong Hye-seon of Gangwon Provincial Government, the nation’s only luge entrant, wrapped up her first Olympic schedule after three runs.

Jeong posted a combined time of 2 minutes, 43.781 seconds through three heats in the women’s singles luge at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday at the Cortina Sliding Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. She ranked 24th out of 25 starters, missing the top 20 cutoff for the fourth and final run.

Luge is raced lying back on a sled on an ice track, with speeds that can reach 150 kph. Line choice through corners and weight shifts can significantly affect times, and standings are determined by the combined results of four runs over two days.

Jeong was 24th after the first two runs a day earlier. In her final run Tuesday, she managed the course steadily, building speed after the start and finishing without hitting the walls. Her top speed of 118.1 kph was her best of the competition, and her third-run time was her fastest of the three.

Germany’s Julia Taubitz led the standings with a combined time of 2:37.918.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Jang Suna sunrise@ajunews.com