Choi Min-jeong of Korea, right, celebrates with teammate Kim Gil-li after winning the gold medal in the women's 3,000-meter relay in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Wednesday. Yonhap

MILAN — Short track speed skating star Choi Min-jeong has never been one to get caught up in records. Even though she is now on the verge of becoming the most decorated Korean Olympian, Choi is not about to change her approach.

Choi collected her sixth career medal with the gold in the women's 3,000-meter relay Wednesday night at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan. With four gold medals and two silver medals, Choi is now tied with former archer Kim Soo-nyung, former shooter Jin Jong-oh and speed skater Lee Seung-hoon for the most Olympic medals by a Korean athlete, winter or summer.

Choi will have a chance to grab the sole possession of the lead Friday night when she takes the ice for the women's 1,500 meters. She is the two-time defending champion.

"Since I started short track, I've never paid much attention to records," Choi said after a training session Thursday. "I just want to keep skating the way I always have and keep trusting myself."

And with one more gold medal, Choi will have a couple more records to herself. She will become the first short track speed skater to pull off a three-peat in the same individual event and also break a tie with short track legend Chun Lee-kyung for the most Winter Games gold medals by a Korean athlete.

"I respect her so much," Choi said of Chun, who had four gold medals and one bronze medal across two Olympic Games. "Great athletes like her set the standards for us, and made us challenge ourselves and see what's possible out there."

With the dramatic gold medal Wednesday, as Korea rallied from behind to gain a late lead, and hung on to beat Italy and Canada, Choi's third Olympics took a quick turn for the better.

In her first race in Milan, Korea crashed out of the semifinals in the mixed team relay. And Choi didn't even reach the finals in the women's 500 meters and 1,000 meters.

She now has a chance to end the Olympics with a record-setting gold.

Source: Korea Times News