Lee So-yeon earns long-awaited medal as Korea's women take gold in 3,000-meter relay 작성일 02-19 25 목록 <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/02/19/0000084597_001_20260219140412373.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Team Korea celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 3,000-meter relay race at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy on Feb. 18. From left: Shim Suk-hee, Noh Do-hee, Lee So-yeon, Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong. [NEWS1]</em></span> <span class="mask"></span> </div> </div> <br> MILAN — Short track speed skater Lee So-yeon finally won a coveted gold medal in the women’s 3,000-meter relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday, earning a place atop the podium after years of falling short in Olympic qualifying events. <br> <br> Team Korea, comprising Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Noh Do-hee and Shim Suk-hee, crossed the finish line first in the final at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy, clocking in at 4 minutes 4.014 seconds. Although only four skaters competed in the final, five skaters, including Lee, stood on the podium. <br><br>Lee skated in the semifinal and received a gold medal as a member of the relay team. Her Olympic honor comes after years of missing out on the chance to compete on the Olympic stage. <br> <br> The veteran skater first made her national team debut in 2012, but failed to secure an Olympic berth after slipping in the national team selection tryout. <br> <br> However, she maintained her form into her 30s and finally secured a place on the Olympic roster by finishing fourth in the 2025-26 national team selection tryouts. While only the top three finishers qualified for individual events, her result earned her a spot in the relay race. <br> <br> At 32 years old, Lee also became the oldest Korean woman to compete in Olympic short track speed skating. She surpassed the previous record held by Cho Ha-ri, who was 27 at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. <br> <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center "> <div class="image"> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/02/19/0000084597_002_20260219140412512.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Lee So-yeon, center, competes in the semifinals of the women's 3,000-meter relay race at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy on Feb. 15. [YONHAP] </em></span> <span class="mask"></span> </div> </div> <br> Male skater Kwak Yoon-gy, who competed at age 32 at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, is the oldest Korean short track speed skater to compete at the Games across both genders. <br> <br> While Lee did not compete in Wednesday's event, her skating in the semifinal helped punch Korea's ticket to the final, as she held off repeated passing attempts on the rink by competing teams. <br> <br> Wednesday's win marks Korea's first gold in short track speed skating at this year's Olympics and its second trip to the top of the podium overall, with the country having collected a total of seven medals — two gold, two silver and three bronze — as of Thursday. <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 ‘심석희-최민정’ 조합, 역사를 밀어 올렸다…韓 여자 쇼트트랙 계주, 원팀으로 ‘금빛 완성’ [2026 밀라노] 02-19 다음 '체조 전설' 바일스, 부진했던 피겨 말리닌에게 위로 전해[2026 동계올림픽] 02-19 댓글 0 등록된 댓글이 없습니다. 로그인한 회원만 댓글 등록이 가능합니다.
