Choi Min-jeong falls short in 500 meters, but short track veteran confident about other events
Published: 13 Feb. 2026, 19:46
![Short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong, left, races in the women’s 500-meter quarterfinal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/13/d16e9712-a66a-44e4-964d-ffe0c4ca9506.jpg)
Short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong, left, races in the women’s 500-meter quarterfinal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]
LIVIGNO, Italy — Choi Min-jeong failed to reach the podium in the women’s 500 meters, an event she had attacked with renewed determination, but said she is confident she can win medals in her main events — the 1,500 meters and the relay.
Choi clocked 43.07 seconds to place fifth in semifinal heat 2 of the women’s 500 meters short track speed skating event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Assago, Italy, on Thursday. She later finished second in the B final, placing seventh overall.
The women’s 500 meters remains the only individual short track event Korea has yet to win at the Olympics. Chun Lee-kyung and Park Seung-hi’s bronze medal finishes at the 1998 Nagano Games and the 2014 Sochi Games, respectively, stand as the country’s best results.
The distance has been a hurdle for Choi personally as well: Over her previous two Olympics, while she took home gold twice in the 1,500 meters and silver once in the 1,000 meters, she has never medaled in the 500 meters — including a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Beijing Games.
“Of course it would be a lie to say I have no regrets,” Choi said after the race. “I even set a personal best [41.955 seconds] in the quarterfinals, and I did better than I did in Beijing, so I feel like I’ve taken a step forward. But it’s still hard not to feel disappointed.”
In the semifinals, Choi was skating in front before Canada’s Kim Boutin moved past her. In the process, the two jostled and Choi was forced back. Officials reviewed the incident on video replay but assessed no penalty.
“My speed dropped a lot when I collided with Boutin, and then I was passed by Courtney Sarault as well,” Choi said. “That kind of contact can happen during a race. If I had skated faster, I wouldn’t have gotten into that situation.”
![Short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong after failing to advance to the final in the women’s 500-meter semifinal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/13/65949771-0251-4ced-96b1-8c2f537f8639.jpg)
Short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong after failing to advance to the final in the women’s 500-meter semifinal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, on Feb. 12. [NEWS1]
Choi has poured a lot of effort into the 500 meters. In the quarterfinals, she flashed her speed by overtaking two skaters in one go.
“The quarterfinal was really good, and I think it helped me gain more confidence,” she said. “If you look only at the result, it’s disappointing, but looking at the process, I prepared without regrets and did my best. I just wasn’t good enough.”
Nicknamed the “ice princess,” Choi showed more emotion than usual. “I think it’s because it’s the Olympics,” she said.
Choi’s signature event is the 1,500 meters. After winning back-to-back Olympic golds in PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022, she is now chasing an unprecedented third straight title in a single event at the Games.
“My time and condition in the 500 meters today were pretty good, so I’ve gained some confidence,” Choi said. “There are more important events coming up, so I think things will work out if I stay confident and skate well.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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