Harbin: South Korea concluded the short track speed skating competition at the Asian Winter Games in China by securing two additional gold medals on Sunday, enhancing its overall count to six gold medals.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Choi Min-jeong emerged as the first triple gold medalist of the competition by clinching the women’s 1,000-meter title at Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Multifunctional Hall in Harbin. Choi successfully defended her position against teammate Kim Gil-li, achieving a gold medal in every short track race for women in her Asian Games career, including the 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m relay, and mixed 2,000m relay. She had previously won the 500m and mixed relay titles on Saturday.
Choi, who took a break during the 2023-2024 season to rest and prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics, has returned with a remarkable performance this season. She is now the first South Korean female athlete to win at least three gold medals at a Winter Asiad. Choi expressed her goals, stating, “I looked at the Asian Games here as part of my preparation for the Olympics in Milan. I will try to check off one box after another until I get to the Olympics.”
Shortly after Choi’s triumph, Jang Sung-woo secured the men’s 1,000m title, defeating teammate Park Ji-won for his second gold in Harbin. Jang, who previously won the mixed relay championship, also earned bronze medals in the 500m and 1,500m on Saturday. Jang reflected on his success, saying, “I think I’ve been rewarded for all the work I’ve put in so far. But I won’t be content with winning the gold medal here.” He also expressed gratitude to Park for his support and added, “I will try to become a world-class athlete like Ji-won.”
However, South Korea experienced a setback later on Sunday when the team was unable to secure medals in both the women’s 3,000m relay and the men’s 5,000m relay for the first time in Asian Games history. Since relay events were introduced in the Asian Games in 1990, South Korea had consistently won relay medals.
In the women’s relay, the South Korean team, consisting of Choi, Kim Gil-li, Lee So-yeon, and Kim Geon-hee, finished in fourth place, missing the opportunity to achieve a complete sweep of all women’s titles in Harbin. During the final exchange of the 27-lap race, Choi pushed Kim into the lead past China, but a collision with China’s Gong Li caused Kim to fall, allowing Gong to finish first.
In the men’s relay, South Korea’s team led most of the 45-lap race until China surged ahead with a strategic exchange five laps before the finish. The final stretch involved a physical contest between South Korea’s Park Ji-won and China’s Lin Xiaojun. After Lin fell and Park nearly lost his balance, Kazakhstan seized the chance to win gold. Park crossed the line in second but was later penalized for a collision with Lin.
Despite the setback, Park, who finished with four medals, including two golds and two silvers, remained positive, remarking, “I think it’s more fun for the fans when we are competing hard. We had more physical battles than usual. I will try to stay on the ice more in future races.” Park, aged 28, described Harbin as a valuable learning experience and expressed anticipation for future competitions, including a potential rematch with Lin at the Olympics.
South Korea concluded the competition with six out of nine gold medals available in short track, supplemented by four silver and three bronze medals.