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Speed skater hoping 3rd time will be charm at Winter Olympics

Published: 09 Jan. 2026, 13:18

Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun holds up her Olympic rings necklace during a media availability at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 8. [YONHAP]

Speed skater Kim Min-sun wears a necklace with the five Olympic rings as her pendant, a constant reminder of the upcoming competition and the goal she aims to achieve.

And in February in Italy, Kim hopes she will get to wear something else around her neck: her first Olympic medal.

"I got this necklace custom-made so that I can look at it to keep pushing myself whenever I get complacent," Kim told reporters Thursday before an open training session at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul. It took place less than a month before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

"I am looking forward to these Olympics more than any competition," Kim added. "I want to prove that I've been doing the right things in my preparation."

This will be Kim's third Winter Olympics, after her debut on home ice at the 2018 competition in PyeongChang and a follow-up appearance in Beijing four years later.

In 2018, Kim, still a teenager, tied for 16th in the women's 500 meters, her main event. Then in Beijing, she improved to seventh place, though still well outside medal contention.

In the 2022-2023 season, Kim emerged as the top 500 m skater, sweeping up five straight World Cup gold medals and adding a silver medal.

Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun takes part in an open training session at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 8. [YONHAP]

However, after running out of gas toward the end of that campaign, Kim decided to alter her training program. A speed skating season typically goes from November to March, and Kim wanted to ensure she would be in peak form in February, when the Olympic races take place, rather than in November or December.

The decision came at the expense of immediate results in World Cup competitions, but Kim showed promise in the 2024-2025 season. After winning bronze in the World Cup season opener, Kim missed the podium in her next six races. But in February, Kim returned to the World Cup podium with a silver before adding a bronze at the world championships in March.

During the 2025-2026 season, Kim finished 17th in her first two 500 m races in November and only cracked the top 10 for the first time at the third World Cup stop in early December.

Then on Dec. 14 in Norway, Kim earned her first medal of the season with a third-place finish.

"It was not an easy decision to change the way I trained, and it took a lot of courage," Kim said. "But I decided I needed to make that change to compete with world-class skaters. I think I can be at my 120 percent, not 100 percent, during the Olympics."

Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun gives a thumbs-up during a photo session at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Jan. 8. [YONHAP]

With Kim lurking in the background, Femke Kok of the Netherlands has been the singular force in the women's 500m. She has won all six World Cup titles in the women's 500 m this season and even set a world record of 36.09 seconds in November.

Lee Sang-hwa, a two-time Olympic champion from South Korea and a longtime mentor for Kim, had held the previous record of 36.36 seconds for 12 years.

"I was crushed when Kok broke Sang-hwa's record," Kim said. "But at the same time, it motivated me. Sang-hwa told me records are made to be broken, and I should just focus on my own training. So I will try to win the battle against myself, not against anyone else."

Lee had been the face of South Korean speed skating for many years until she retired in 2019. Kim was quickly anointed as Lee's heir apparent, but the passing of the torch will only be completed when Kim grabs her first Olympic medal.

"Since the start of my career, I've always dreamed of standing on the Olympic podium," Kim said. "I will do my best to realize that dream this year."

Yonhap