Home > Sports > Olympic Sports

Short tracker Rim Jong-un crashes out of 1,500-meter quarterfinals in race 'full of regret'

Published: 15 Feb. 2026, 11:34 Updated: 15 Feb. 2026, 14:20

Korea’s Rim Jong-un reacts in disappointment after falling in the men’s 1,500-meter quarterfinal and failing to advance to the semifinals at the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [NEWS1]

MILAN — Korean short track skater Rim Jong-un bowed out of the men’s 1,500 meters in heartbreaking fashion, describing it as “a race full of regret from start to finish.”

Rim, 18, fell just before the finish line in Heat 5 of the quarterfinals on Saturday at the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Attempting to make a decisive inside move in the final curve, he slipped and crashed, finishing last and failing to advance.

Rim appeared to get tangled with teammate Shin Dong-min, who was skating ahead of him, as he tried to surge forward on the inside line.

Speaking in the mixed zone, he expressed deep disappointment.

Korea’s Rim Jong-un falls during the men’s 1,500-meter quarterfinal at the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [NEWS1]

“I felt the most confident in the 1,500-meter while preparing for the Olympics,” he said. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t show any of what I had prepared. I’m upset and disappointed.”

Explaining the fall, Rim said, “I was trying to finish strong by moving to the inside at the end, but I put too much force in a section where the ice wasn’t in good condition and unexpectedly went down.”

He added that the ice in that particular corner posed a problem. “The ice at the corner where I fell was softer than normal. I think that’s why several other skaters also went down.”

The disappointment was particularly sharp given that the 1,500-meter is Rim’s signature event and one in which he had been considered a strong medal contender.

With the men’s 500-meter and the 5,000-meter relay still ahead, Rim vowed to regroup.

“It won’t be easy, but I’ll try to shake off this disappointment as quickly as possible,” he said. “In the next events, I want to focus and deliver performances without regret.”

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 KO BONG-JUN, PARK LIN [[email protected]]