Park Ji-woo races toward the finish in the women’s mass start final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan speedskating stadium on Feb. 21 (local time). [Photo by Yonhap]
South Korea’s long-distance speedskating standout Park Ji-woo of Gangwon Provincial Office missed a medal in the women’s mass start and said she plans to try again in four years.
Park placed 14th in the final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan speedskating stadium on Feb. 22 (Korea time). It was her first time reaching the Olympic final, but she did not make the podium.
After the race, Park told reporters in the mixed zone, “I’m sorry to deliver a disappointing result to speedskating fans in Korea who supported me,” bowing her head.
Park failed to advance past the semifinals at both the 2018 PyeongChang Games and the 2022 Beijing Games. In Beijing, she collided with another skater with two laps remaining, ending her bid to reach the final.
This time, she advanced comfortably through the semifinals to make her first final, but fell short of medal contention.
“I was worried about fighting for position and where I’d be with one or two laps left,” Park said. “It’s disappointing I couldn’t fix that, but I showed what I could. I have fewer regrets than at PyeongChang and Beijing.”
She said Kim Bo-reum contacted her from Korea earlier in the day and offered advice on positioning. “I really wanted to follow in Bo-reum’s footsteps, but it’s a shame I couldn’t show a great performance,” Park said.
Kim, who announced her retirement from competition late last year, won silver in the mass start at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, becoming the first South Korean woman to medal in the event at the Games.
Park said she intends to keep pursuing an Olympic medal. “The athletes who made the podium today are in their mid-30s, at least eight years older than me,” she said. “I have a real chance to keep challenging in four years and even eight years. I’ll work to reach a higher place at the next Olympics.”
Park placed 14th in the final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan speedskating stadium on Feb. 22 (Korea time). It was her first time reaching the Olympic final, but she did not make the podium.
After the race, Park told reporters in the mixed zone, “I’m sorry to deliver a disappointing result to speedskating fans in Korea who supported me,” bowing her head.
Park failed to advance past the semifinals at both the 2018 PyeongChang Games and the 2022 Beijing Games. In Beijing, she collided with another skater with two laps remaining, ending her bid to reach the final.
This time, she advanced comfortably through the semifinals to make her first final, but fell short of medal contention.
“I was worried about fighting for position and where I’d be with one or two laps left,” Park said. “It’s disappointing I couldn’t fix that, but I showed what I could. I have fewer regrets than at PyeongChang and Beijing.”
She said Kim Bo-reum contacted her from Korea earlier in the day and offered advice on positioning. “I really wanted to follow in Bo-reum’s footsteps, but it’s a shame I couldn’t show a great performance,” Park said.
Kim, who announced her retirement from competition late last year, won silver in the mass start at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, becoming the first South Korean woman to medal in the event at the Games.
Park said she intends to keep pursuing an Olympic medal. “The athletes who made the podium today are in their mid-30s, at least eight years older than me,” she said. “I have a real chance to keep challenging in four years and even eight years. I’ll work to reach a higher place at the next Olympics.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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