Bronze medalist Korea's Kim Gil-li poses on the podium of the short track speed skating women's 1000m final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Monday. AFP-Yonhap

MILAN — Having emerged virtually unscathed from what could have been a devastating crash earlier at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, short track speed skater Kim Gil-li stayed on her feet for her first career medal Monday.

And it was fitting that for a skater so fast that she has been dubbed "Lambor-Gilli," after the famous Italian sports car, that medal came in Italy.

Kim, 21, claimed the bronze medal in the women's 1,000 meters at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Monday, six days after she was tripped up by Corinne Stoddard of the United States and fell hard on her right arm in the semifinals of the mixed team relay.

Fortunately, Kim came away with just a small bruise on her right elbow and never missed any action. And the clearest proof of her health came in the form of her first career Olympic medal on Monday.

Though this is Kim's first Olympics, she is no stranger to international competitions. She is a five-time world junior champion who has also captured four medals at world championships at the senior level.

Kim also captured the Crystal Globe as the best overall performer for the 2023-24 International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Cup season, on the strength of her seven gold medals and three silver medals in individual events.

By collecting her first Olympic medal so early in her career, Kim will try to follow in the footsteps of her more accomplished teammate, Choi Min-jeong.

Choi won her first two gold medals at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at 19 and added three more in Beijing four years later.

Choi was eliminated in the semifinals of the 1,000m earlier Monday and is still looking for her first medal in Milan, having earlier missed out on opportunities in the 500m and the mixed team relay. It will bear watching whether Milan will end up being the stage for the passing of the torch from Choi to Kim.

Source: Korea Times News