Kim Min-sun of Korea competes in the women's 1,000-meter speed skating race at the Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, Monday. Yonhap
MILAN — Korean speed skating sprinters Kim Min-sun and Lee Na-hyun will be in pursuit of their first Olympic medal on the oval at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.
The two will compete in the women's 500 meters at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, trying to following in the footsteps of Lee Sang-hwa, who won gold medals in that race in 2010 and 2014, and then added a silver in 2018.
Kim, 26, has been seen as the heir apparent to Lee, and while Kim has had several victories at International Skating Union World Cup events, Olympic success has eluded her. Kim finished 16th in the 500m in her Olympic debut in 2018 and then seventh in 2022.
Lee, 20, is the emerging star in the 500m who set the world junior record in that distance in January 2024.
They both competed in the 1,000m as their first race in Milan on Monday, with Lee finishing ninth with a time of 1:15.76 and Kim ranking 18th in 1:16.24. Both skaters said afterward they came away feeling more confident about their chances in the 500m.
Also on Sunday, freestyle skier Jung Dae-yoon will compete in the men's dual moguls event at Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park in Livigno, north of Milan. Jung reached the final of the men's moguls but finished well shy of a medal. In the dual moguls, Jung will be competing side-by-side against another skier on adjacent courses in a knockout format.
The women's curling tournament will continue for South Korea with a round-robin match against Japan at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, northeast of Milan.
Source: Korea Times News
