Short track, mass start speedskating events to watch for Team Korea’s remaining medal hopes
With only three days left before the close of the Winter Olympics, South Korea is lining up a final push for medals.
As of Friday, the country has secured two gold, two silver and three bronze medals, ranking 15th in the overall standings. While its initial goal of finishing in the top 10 appears challenging, hopes for a late surge remain, as several key events are still to come.
Korea will have medal chances in two short track speedskating events — the women’s 1,500 meters and the men’s 5,000-meter relay — both set for Friday local time, which is early Saturday in Korea.
Following their gold medal victory in the women’s 3,000-meter relay Thursday, Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li and Noh Do-hee will now compete against one another for medals in the 1,500-meter race. The quarterfinals begin at 4:15 a.m. Saturday, Korean time, followed by the semifinals at 5:02 a.m. and the final at 6 a.m.
The women’s 1,500 meters has long been one of Korea’s traditional strongholds. Since its introduction as an official Olympic event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, the nation has collected four gold, four silver and one bronze medal over six Winter Olympics.
The men’s 5,000 relay team includes veteran Hwang Dae-heon, a silver medalist in the men’s 1,500 meters, Lim Jong-eon, who claimed bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters, and Shin Dong-min, Lee June-seo, and Lee Jeong-min.
The squad finished first in its semifinal race ahead of the Netherlands, Belgium and Japan on Monday. If the team wins gold in the final, which begins at 5:18 a.m., Korean time, it would mark its first Olympic relay victory since the 2006 winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, ending a 20 year wait.
Speedskating’s medal chance in mass start
Still awaiting its first medal, South Korean speedskating is looking to the mass start events for a breakthrough.
Star speedskater Chung Jae-won, a 24-year-old veteran making his third Olympic appearance, will race in the men’s mass start semifinal at 11 p.m. Saturday, Korean time.
Chung was a team pursuit silver medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games when he was still only 16 years old. Four years later in Beijing, he took silver in the mass start.
He has also been in strong form this season, claiming two silver medals in four men’s mass start races on the International Skating Union Speed Skating World Cup circuit between November 2025 and January.
The women’s mass start semifinal, scheduled for 11:50 p.m. the same day, will feature Park Ji-woo, who finished eighth in the team pursuit at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.
Promising young skaters Cho Seung-min and Im Ri-won will also compete in the semifinals alongside Chung and Park, making their Olympic debuts.
The finals of the men’s and women’s mass start are set for 12:40 a.m. and 1:15 a.m., respectively, on Sunday, Korean time. The Games will conclude with the closing ceremony at 4 a.m. Monday.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
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