Lee Na-hyun of South Korea reacts after finishing her race in the women's 500-meter speed skating event at the Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
Lee Na-hyun of South Korea reacts after finishing her race in the women's 500-meter speed skating event at the Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)

Speed skating sprinter Lee Na-hyun is leaving her first Winter Olympics in northern Italy feeling good about her medal prospects at the next competition in the French Alps in 2030.

Lee, 20, capped her Winter Games debut on Sunday with a 10th-place finish in the women's 500 meters at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan. She clocked 37.86 seconds.

Lee had the eighth-fastest start with 10.47 seconds over the opening 100m, but she slowed considerably over the next 400m, coming home in 27.39 seconds -- the worst mark among the top-10 finishers.

"I am just relieved it is all finished," Lee said. "I did the best I could. I tried to manage the race the way I'd prepared, but I wasn't entirely happy with the time. I just have to get better and make sure I can stay strong over the late stretch."

Lee had earlier finished in ninth place in the 1,000m -- the highest placement by a South Korean in that event.

"I saw plenty of hope after having these two top-10 finishes," Lee said. "I know I still have so much room for improvement. But if I take it one step at a time, I think I can really reach the podium."

Lee opened the 2025-26 season with some solid results at World Cup stops and set her personal best with 37.03 seconds in her second World Cup race. But her times gradually got worse over time.

"Qualifying for the Olympics was important so I had to go really hard from the start of the season," Lee said. "Other skaters tried to peak in time for the Olympics. It's not that I wasn't in my best form here, but it just wasn't good enough. Now that I've gained some valuable experience here, it will help me prepare for the next Olympics.

"As soon as my race ended today, I started thinking about how I can get better four years later," Lee continued. "After seeing the three skaters on the podium today, I thought I have to push myself even harder to get there in the future." (Yonhap)