South Korean women's short track speed skaters chase more Olympic glory

South Korea's women will be a mix of youth and experience as they look to continue their domination in short track speed skating at Beijing 2022.

Titles courtesy of Choi Minjeong in the 1500m and the 3000m relay ensured they finished top of the sport's medal table at PyeongChang 2018.

With 24 gold medals, no country has won more short track silverware in Winter Olympic history.

Three of the triumphant relay squad form part of a five-strong team which includes 2018 double gold medallist Choi, Kim Alang, who will be seeking her third straight relay title, and Lee Yubin.

They will be joined by newcomers Seo Whimin, two-time champion at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games, and Park Jiyun.

Given there is a mixed relay event, it means expectation is high that South Korea will once more make multiple trips to the top of the podium.

Lee, though, does not seem to be feeling the pressure.

“I was not aware of the attention,” she told the JoongAng Ilbo. “If I think of it as a burden, it can be. But it’s a projection and I hope people think of it in a positive light.”

Choi hoping to get rewards for resilience

Choi has had a turbulent time since she claimed double gold at the Olympic Winter Games four years ago.

She won her third world title following PyeongChang and appeared to have Yang Yang's status as the most decorated female short track speed skater in history with six global crowns in her sights

However, Netherlands skater Suzanne Schelting claimed the 2019 world crown and deposed her at the top of the rankings.

Injury and the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on competition further affected her.

Now she is determined to return to the sort of form that guided her to the top of the Olympic podium.

Choi said: “I’ve been looking forward to Beijing since right after PyeongChang.

“At my second Olympics I want to show the crowd an even better performance than at the first: 2018 was the sweet fruit after my long and hard effort.

“It was the biggest reward in my life as an athlete. I will never forget the cheers of the home crowd.

“In the 1500m I knew I had to overtake, I kept raising the speed, and then I was full of joy. In the relays we got the best out of ourselves.

“We shed a lot of sweat to make that happen. Afterwards, I received lots of presents. I was deeply thankful. That was something that changed my life.”

The pandemic has affected training while causing the cancellation of many competitions.

Choi, though, used the time productively, saying: “Not being able to participate in competition is frustrating.

“It was hard, to be frank. But it was something we had to live through.

"I used the pandemic to get some recovery and try different training methods. When I couldn’t skate on the ice, I trained off it.”

Injury reared its head once more last season but Choi has returned to fitness which has played its part in a confident outlook.

“I started to think more positively after I grabbed the gold medal at the final series (of the ISU world cup),” Choi said.

“I’m ready to enjoy Beijing and every step of training is being taken. My speed is better now than at the World Cups. My strength is using the outside course to overtake. I’ve trained really hard on that.

“Team Korea have earned the relay gold medal in Sochi and PyeongChang, two Olympics in a row, and had some brilliant moments in world championships and world cups.

Resilience has been key for Choi, who said: “I had ups and downs. Another Olympic medal will be proof that I have survived the hard times. I have no intention to stay in the past. I always feel my best is yet to come.”

The South Korea team

As well as the owner of two Olympic relay titles, Kim was fourth in the individual 1500m at PyeongChang 2018.

The 26-year-old has won six medals at the World Championships including three golds.

Lee was just 16 when she won relay gold at PyeongChang 2018 and showed her affinity for the Beijing rink by winning the 1500m in the World Cup opener held there in October.

Choi, Kim and Lee are eligible for all races and relays while Seo and Park will only be able to compete in the relays.

When to watch the South Korean short track women's team in competition at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022

If the women's 3000m relay is the race you're waiting for, then you can watch the semi-final on Wednesday 9 February at 20:45 (21:45 KST, 4:45 PST).

After that, the final is on Sunday 13 February at 19:44 (20:44 KST, 3:44 PST) with the Koreans bidding for a hat-trick of gold medals.

The other finals which may feature the Korean women are the mixed team relay on Saturday 5 February at 21:26 (22:26 KST, 5:26 PST), the 500m on Monday 7 February at 20:46 (21:46 KST, 4:46 PST), the 1000m on Friday 11 February at 20:43 (21:43 KST, 4:43 PST) and the 1500m on Wednesday 16 February at 21:18 (22:18 KST, 5:18 PST).

MORE: How to watch short track speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022