Latest news with #ParkJi-won


Korea Herald
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
High schooler wins nat'l Olympic short track trials
A high school senior won the South Korean Olympic short track speed skating trials that wrapped up Sunday, earning a chance to represent the country at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. Rim Jong-un, 17, finished first overall among male skaters with 102 points after two rounds of the 2025-2026 season national team trials at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul. Rim shot to first place after the opening phase, thanks to his victory in the 1,500 meters, a runner-up finish in the 1,000m and a 17th-place showing in the 500m. Then, in the second stage, Rim once again captured the 1,500m title while finishing third in the 500m and 10th in the 1,000m. Rim won two gold medals at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Junior Short Track Championships in February, and he has made the senior national team for the first time. Hwang Dae-heon, the 2022 Olympic champion in the 1,500m, finished second overall to Rim with 89 points. Hwang, 25, had come up short in the national team trials for the 2024-2025 season while also causing controversy by committing a series of fouls on teammate Park Ji-won at ISU World Cup, world championships and national team trials. Shin Dong-min, a triple gold medalist at last year's world juniors, finished third in the trials with 55 points. The 20-year-old will also be making his senior international debut. The top three finishers for men will skate in individual events and relays at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The next two skaters in the trials, Lee Jeong-min and Lee June-seo, will only be eligible for the relays. Park Ji-won, a three-time world champion who has also won three overall World Cup titles, finished well out of contention at the trials. Despite his decorated international resume, Park has never skated at an Olympics. On the women's side, Kim Gil-li, the 2024 ISU World Cup overall champion, won the trials with 128 points, followed by Noh Do-hee with 69 points. Three-time Olympic champion Choi Min-jeong secured an automatic berth by winning an individual gold medal at the world championships last month, and only Kim and Noh earned the right to skate in individual events at the Olympics through the trials. Lee So-yeon and Shim Suk-hee, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, earned spots for the relays in Italy after finishing third and fourth in the trials. South Korea is the most successful short track country in Olympic history with 26 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze medals. (Yonhap)


South China Morning Post
08-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
China speed skating slip lets South Korea take first gold of Asian Winter Games
South Korea had been expected to dominate the speed skating at this year's Asian Winter Games and they got off to a strong start on Saturday, winning the first three gold medals up for grabs. They started in the 2,000-metres mixed-team relay at Heilongjiang Ice Sports Centre, taking advantage of a China slip-up, and then added the men's and women's 1,500m crowns to that list. Park Ji-won, the two-time World Cup overall champion, took two of those gold medals, helping his team to the first as he crossed the line in two minutes, 41.534 seconds, after China's Lin Xiaojun, who led by one body's length, tumbled off the ice on the curve with two laps to go. Kazakhstan capitalised on the Chinese team's blip and finished second in 2:42.258. Japan took bronze in 2:44.058. Park just got the better of Lin in their 1,500m tussle soon after, winning in a time of 2:16.927, with Lin coming home in 2:16.956. Jang Sung-woo added bronze for South Korea in 2:17.057. China's Lin Xiaojun falls while leading the 2,000m relay, allowing Park Ji-won (right) to lead South Korea to gold. Photo: Xinhua There was double gold too for South Korea's Kim Gilli, who saw off a double Chinese threat to claim the women's 1,500m in 2:23.781. Second was Gong Li in 2:23.884, with compatriot Zang Yize third in 2:23.965.


Korea Herald
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
First victory at Harbin Winter Games
South Korea's speed skater Park Ji-won (right) raises his finger in excitement after confirming victory in the final round of the short track mixed 2,000m relay at the Harbin Asian Winter Games at the Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Multifunctional Hall in Harbin, northeastern China, Saturday. The win marks South Korea's first gold medal at the event. The 28-year-old skater competed alongside Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, and Kim Tae-sung, achieving a record time of 2:41.534. They were followed by teams from Kazakhstan, Japan, and China, who finished second, third, and fourth, respectively. Finals for the women's and men's 1,500m and 500m events are scheduled later on Saturday.