One of South Korea's most decorated inline skaters will switch to speed skating on ice at an upcoming national competition, officials said Thursday.

   The Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Woo Hyo-sook, who has won multiple world championships in inline speed skating, has registered as a speed skater on ice for the National Winter Sports Festival, set for Feb. 18-21 across the country.

   Woo, 27, won three gold medals at the 2008 World Roller Speed Skating Championships in Spain, and added two more world titles in 2009 in China and four more in 2011 in South Korea.

   Woo also won a gold medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

   Officials said Woo had long been interested in ice speed skating and is currently training in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, ahead of the National Winter Sports Festival.

   There have been other high-profile and successful switches from wheels to blades.

   Derek Parra of the United States, a two-time world champion in inline, won the men's 1,500 meters with a world record at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games and added a silver in 5,000ｍ.

   Inspired by Parra's success, fellow inline skater Chad Hedrick, who had also won multiple world championships, made the switch to the ice. Hedrick won three medals at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, including a gold in men's 5,000ｍ, and grabbed two more medals at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

   Among South Koreans, Park Do-young, a 2011 national champion in women's 3,000ｍ speed skating, started out as an inline skater.

   Kim Gwan-gyu, former Olympic speed skater and now an executive director at the KSU, said he expects Woo to make a smooth transition.

   "The basic requirements for skating are essentially the same for both sports," Kim said. "Inline skaters are used to racing long distances and their endurance and strength should help them at long-distance speed skating events." (Yonhap News)