Gangwon 2024: Reunion of speed skaters Nao Kodaira and Lee Sang-Hwa a touching reminder of PyeongChang Winter Games legacy at Youth Olympics
At the same Gangneung Oval where they competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics and shared a moment of friendship that transcended sporting competition, the skaters from Japan and the Republic of Korea were reunited in a touching example to the Youth Olympic Games athletes of the power of sport.
Speed Skating
Friends. Reunited.
Six years after their iconic moment at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, gold medal winning speed skaters Nao Kodaira from Japan and Lee Sang-Hwa of Republic of Korea, were back, together, in the same Gangneung Oval venue where their post-race embrace went viral around the globe.
"Every time I come and see her I end up crying, so this time I am trying to control my emotion," said Lee with a smile as the pair spoke to media at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
The Korean had won back-to-back golds in the 500m at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. But in 2018, Lee was beaten in her bid for a third consecutive gold on home ice, Kodaira winning to became the first Japanese woman to claim Olympic gold on the long track.
Lee, who took silver, was in tears. Without hesitation, Kodaira embraced her rival in consolation, as the two champions skated around the arena saluting the crowd together in a display of unity said to perfectly embody the Olympic values of excellence, respect, and friendship.
"The meaning behind our hugging was we hoped that the young athletes will be able to create a relationship like ours.” - Kodaira shared, thinking back to the moment.
The pair remain friends, but it was the last time that they faced each other on the track, before each of them ended their storied careers as champions and icons.
“After the 2018 Olympics we didn’t have a chance to compete against each other again, but it feels great to meet again here where we raced against each other.” - Kodaira added.
“Being back in this place feels so good because it is not easy to stand here together where we competed during PyeongChang Olympics. I feel fresh like I have returned as an athlete,” Lee shared, before the two skating legends took their seats to watch the next generation of the sport compete at the Youth Olympics.
"It feels great to be back after the Pyeongchang Olympics and this gives me the feeling of competing once again with Nao (Kodaira) even though the look and signage have changed from PyeongChang to Gangwon we feel great because the young people are competing in the same stadium here that we competed in, and we still keep in contact," said Kodaira, who is one of the Athlete Role Models for Gangwon 2024.
How to watch action from the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympics
Action from all 13 competition days at Gangwon 2024, including speed skating competition from the Gangneung Oval is being streamed on dedicated feeds on Olympics.com and on the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
You can also watch full replays on demand on Olympics.com and catch highlights, reaction interview clips, news articles, and full results sections across the website and official Olympics social media accounts.