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'LamborGilli' on ice: Korea celebrates gold at women's short track ceremony

Published: 19 Feb. 2026, 14:18 Updated: 19 Feb. 2026, 14:58

Korean short track skater Choi Min-jeong, left, brushes off tears from teammate Kim Gil-li's face after the team won the 3,000-meter relay final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy on Feb. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]

Even the gold medal ceremony of the Korean women’s short track unfolded in a flash. Like the dramatic final comeback that sealed the victory, skater Kim Gil-li dashed toward her teammates after the win — living up to her nickname “LamborGilli.” Her teammates watched Kim dart toward them and shed tears of joy.

Korea’s women’s short track team won the 3,000-meter relay final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, crossing the finish line first with a time of 4 minutes and 4.014 seconds.

The quartet of Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Noh Do-hee and Shim Suk-hee scored a dramatic victory against Canada, Italy and the Netherlands in the final.

After skating in third place through the middle of the race, the Netherlands fell behind on the 11th lap. Choi overtook Canada to move into second, and with two laps remaining, Kim passed Italy to take the lead and secure the win.

With Wednesday’s victory, Korea claimed its seventh gold medal in the women’s relay event. It was also the country’s first short track gold medal of this year’s Games. Kim and her teammates embraced each other after the win, sharing the emotion of the moment.

“I was just so happy after we clinched the win that I only wanted to run to my veteran teammates as quickly as possible,” Kim said with a bright smile after the race. “All I could think about was finishing first. Honestly, it all felt like a dream.”

Korean short track skaters Kim Gil-li, left, and Choi Min-jeong are seen during the medal ceremony after the team won the 3,000-meter relay final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy on Feb. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]

Kim, who skated second in the relay, earned the nickname “LamborGilli,” inspired by the performance car brand Lamborghini, for her unmatched speed.

She covers one lap of the track — 111.12 meters (364 feet)— in 8.4 seconds. Though she stands at 161 centimeters (5 feet, 3 inches), her powerful thighs, nearly as thick as her waist, generate her natural speed.

“In that comeback moment, I felt like I could resolve it myself,” Kim said. “It was as if I could see the path. I just kept my eyes forward and skated.”

Watching Kim’s interview from her side, first skater Choi expressed deep trust.

“I wanted to push [Kim] Gil-li at my full speed. I believed she could do it. No — I believed in her because she is Gil-li,” Choi said.

Korean short track skaters are seen during the medal ceremony after the team won the 3,000-meter relay final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy on Feb. 18. From left, Shim Suk-hee, Noh Do-hee, Lee So-yeon, Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jeong. [YONHAP]

“I thought it was important to take the lead early on today,” Choi added. “We tried to control the flow from the start, almost like skating a 500-meter race.”

With the win, Choi tied the record for the most Olympic gold medals by a Korean athlete.

“There were many dangerous moments because other skaters were racing aggressively,” she said. “Fortunately, our team stayed calm. Even before this competition, I was grateful just to have the chance to tie the record. I’m happy to have set a new milestone with today’s result.”

Having broken a gold medal drought, Korea’s short track team will aim for additional gold medals in the men’s 5,000-meter relay and the women’s 1,500 meters on Saturday.

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, KIM HYO-KYOUNG [[email protected]]