Lee Jeong-min of South Korea (C) competes in the semifinals of the men's 5,000-meter relay in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Monday. Yonhap
MILAN — Eligible to only take part in the men's 5,000-meter relay at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics this month, short track speed skater Lee Jeong-min trained for about two weeks here before finally making his first appearance Monday.
And the 24-year-old needed just that one race to turn heads.
Lee helped South Korea win its semifinal heat at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Monday, moving the country closer to its first 5,000m relay gold medal in 20 years. And after South Korea stayed in the back of the pack early in the 45-lap race, Lee made some deft passes with a burst of speed in the late stages to put his team in the lead position.
After a training session Tuesday, three days before the relay final, Lee said he had received so many texts from family and friends, telling him how he had instantly become a national sensation.
"I don't think I've ever drawn this much attention before," Lee said sheepishly.
Lee decided to pick up short track speed skating after watching the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games as an eight-year-old. He developed into a speedy sprinter, with two world junior titles under his belt, but the diminutive skater, listed at 167 centimeters, often struggled against bigger and stronger competitors.
But after earning his spot on the Olympic squad last spring, he shifted his focus to the relay, which requires more endurance than shorter races.
"Because I had mostly been a sprinter, it was tough for me physically to do relays. So I had to work on my conditioning and recovery," Lee said. "But I felt that if I could bring my speed to the table, things would work out really well. I've always had trust in my abilities."
When asked if he ever feels intimidated against bigger rivals, Lee said, "I just try to stick it to them and not get pushed around."
Source: Korea Times News
