Speed skater Kim Min-sun looks to 2030 Games after disappointing third Olympics 작성일 02-16 18 목록 <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/02/16/0000084515_001_20260216120215242.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Kim Min-sun of Korea competes in the women's 500-meter speed skating race at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 15. [YONHAP] </em></span> <span class="mask"></span> </div> </div> <br> MILAN — Four years ago, Kim Min-sun left the Olympic ice in Beijing in tears. On Sunday, she did not cry, but her disappointment was still palpable. <br> <br> The speed skater finished 14th in the women’s 500 meters at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday, posting a time of 38.01 seconds at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium. <br> <br> Long regarded as the heir apparent to Lee Sang-hwa — Korea’s legendary “queen of speed skating” — Kim shouldered heavy expectations during her third Olympic appearance. After placing seventh at the 2022 Beijing Games, she reached the podium repeatedly on the World Cup circuit and at the world championships in the years that followed. <br><br>But this season, she struggled to rediscover her best form, and the Olympics, once again, did not unfold as she had hoped. <br> <br> “Looking back to the start of the season, I have regrets in every area,” Kim said. “Except during my best season in 2022-23, the opening 100 meters has always been my weakness, and it troubled me again this year. When that [performance] isn’t strong, it affects the overall result in the 500 meters.” <br> <br> She did not attempt to mask her frustration. <br> <br> “I wouldn’t say that it feels refreshing and bittersweet. It’s not refreshing at all,” she said. “Ninety-nine percent of what I feel is disappointment.” <br> <br> She recalled that “there were so many difficult and frustrating moments preparing for this season.” <br> <br> “The Olympics are hard, even when you're prepared and 100 percent confident. I think those kinds of thoughts may have weighed on me even more as I got ready,” she said. <br> <br> However, she made it clear that this wasn't the end of her career. <br> <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/02/16/0000084515_002_20260216120215373.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Kim Min-sun is seen after finishing her 500-meter run at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 15. [NEWS1]</em></span> <span class="mask"></span> </div> </div> <br> “It’s disappointing, but I have to accept it and start running again toward the next Olympics,” she said. <br> <br> Kim first competed on Olympic ice at age 19 at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Now a three-time Olympian, she evaluated herself with unsparing honesty. <br> <br> “I learned a lot from the previous two Olympics, and after Beijing, I achieved some good results,” she said. “I pushed harder to improve, but I must have overlooked something. When my performance fell short, I kept thinking about what I missed in summer training. Maybe my ambition backfired.” <br> <br> Though the journey to the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps will be long and demanding, Kim is looking forward to the next Games. <br> <br> “It feels a bit strange to talk about four years from now right after this year's Olympics ended,” she said. “But the four years since Beijing went by so quickly, and they were valuable to me. I'll prepare well over the next four years and become a better skater.” <br><br><i>This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.</i> 관련자료 이전 “오픈AI 나와”… 앤트로픽, 韓시장 진출 본격화 02-16 다음 Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan reminisces on teenage Olympic debut, refuses to label 2026 Games as his last 02-16 댓글 0 등록된 댓글이 없습니다. 로그인한 회원만 댓글 등록이 가능합니다.
