Home > Sports > Olympic Sports

Speed skater Chung Jae-won reflects on missed chances in mass start speed skating final

Published: 22 Feb. 2026, 10:39 Updated: 22 Feb. 2026, 14:19

Chung Jae-won of Korea competes during the final of the men's mass start speed skating event at the Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 21. [KIM JONG-HO]

In the midst of the men's mass start speed skating final at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, Chung Jae-won found himself toward the back of the 16-skater battle, well behind a couple of front-runners.

The Korean was biding his time, but an opportunity to pull away from the pack never did come, as he ended in fifth place at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan.

Chung, 24, was trying to win his third straight Olympic medal and also to give Korea its first speed skating medal in Milan.

The mass start is a mix of traditional long track speed skating and strategic elements of short track speed skating. Over the course of the 16-lap race, some skaters choose to be the front runners, grabbing an early lead and trying to stay in front. Others, like Chung, opt to conserve their energy and then kick into a higher gear in the home stretch.

The final on Saturday showed these two extremes. Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands and Viktor Hald Thorup of Denmark, the eventual gold and silver medalists, pulled so far ahead of the rest that they appeared ready to lap the field at one point. They left everyone else to fight for the bronze medal.

"When those two skaters went on an attack mode early, I couldn't catch them on time, and put myself in a position where I was in a dogfight for one last place for a medal," Chung said. "I knew I was not in a good spot at the end, but still, I was disappointed not to have moved into a medal position at the end."

Chung Jae-won of Korea reacts after finishing fifth in the men's mass start speed skating event at the Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 21. [NEWS1]

Chung's mad dash toward the line still left him 0.18 seconds back of the bronze medalist, Andrea Giovannini of Italy, at 8:04.60.

"If I had decided to go on a sprint earlier in the race and expend my energy, I wasn't sure if others would follow. So it would have been a risky move," Chung added. "I tried to adjust to the situation the best I could, but it didn't go the way I wanted."

Chung was the reigning silver medalist in the mass start and came into Milan as a viable medal contender. But he said he realized he has so much more work to do.

"I thought I had prepared so hard for this Olympics and worked as much as anyone, but obviously, I was wrong," Chung said. "The results today showed that there were athletes who worked harder than I did. I will try to work even harder and be more thorough in my preparation for the next Olympics."

Chung Jae-won of Korea reacts after finishing fifth in the men's mass start speed skating event at the Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Feb. 21. [KIM JONG-HO]

Chung competed at the past two Olympics with the speed skating legend Lee Seung-hoon by his side. Lee, the most decorated Korean speed skater with six medals, including two in the mass start, did not qualify for Milan and instead worked as a television analyst at the oval on Saturday.

Chung said he sorely missed the presence of the 37-year-old.

"In the past competitions, whether at the Olympics or World Cups, I always picked Seung-hoon's brains and learned so much from him about how to react to different situations," Chung said. "I took him for granted, and it hurt not to have him by my side here.

"As I grow older and gain more experience, I want to be the kind of leader that Seung-hoon has been for us," Chung continued. "I don't think I am close to that level yet."

Yonhap