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Young Korean short trackers take valuable lessons home from Milan-Cortina Winter Games

Published: 22 Feb. 2026, 10:19 Updated: 22 Feb. 2026, 14:17

Members of the Korean men's national short track speed skating team attend a press conference at Korea House in Milan on Feb. 21. From left: Hwang Dae-heon, Rim Jong-un, Lee June-seo, Lee Jeong-min and Shin Dong-min. [YONHAP]

Rim Jong-un arrived in Milan for his first Winter Olympics at age 18 with expectations of grabbing multiple medals.

He did get two medals here at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, with bronze in the men's 1,000 meters and silver in the men's 5,000-meter relay. However, the teenager conceded Saturday that he didn't live up to expectations, both from outside and from within.

"I would give myself a 5 out of 10," Rim said at a press conference at Korea House in Milan, when asked to grade his Olympic debut. "I am disappointed and sorry that I did not live up to expectations. But I am going to use the lessons I learned here to prepare for the next Olympics, and I am confident I will perform better then."

Rim blamed his less-than-ideal performances on nerves, but he said he was still happy to have ended the competition on a high note with the relay silver medal on Friday, the final day of short track races.

"We all wanted to win a relay medal together here," he said. "Now that our competition is over, I want to hang out with the guys, see the city a little bit and go see some other events."

Rim was one of three Korean male short trackers skating at an Olympics for the first time. Shin Dong-min, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday Sunday, said the relay medal was "the best birthday present ever," though more individual success for himself would have been nice, too.

Korean short track speed skater Rim Jong-un speaks at a press conference at Korea House in Milan on Feb. 21. [YONHAP]

He finished in fourth place in the men's 1,500 meters, where teammate Hwang Dae-heon, a three-time Olympian, won silver.

"I had such a great opportunity at my first Olympics, and I am a little bummed out that I didn't capitalize on it," Shin said. "Still, I was able to identify what I need to work on, and I think I will be better prepared for the next Olympics."

Lee Jeong-min was only eligible for the 5,000-meter relay in Milan, based on his placement at the national team trials, and he only skated twice here — in the semifinals and the final of the relay. The 24-year-old made those scant chances count by turning heads with his explosive passes both on the inside and the outside.

"I tried not to be afraid of mistakes and tried to stay confident on the ice, no matter how poor the conditions were," Lee said. "Hopefully, I will qualify for individual races at the next Olympics in 2030."

Korean short track speed skater Lee June-seo, center, speaks at a press conference at Korea House in Milan on Feb. 21. [YONHAP]

Hwang and Lee June-seo both won their second straight relay silver medals after teaming up first in 2022. The two veterans thanked their younger teammates for their hard work and camaraderie, and also noted the need for further improvements.

"It's been fun preparing for these Olympics with these guys," Lee said. "We need to make some adjustments going forward to try to keep up with other countries. We have to be ready to compete against bigger and stronger athletes."

For now, though, Hwang said he was more interested in enjoying some Italian culture, after being holed up inside the athletes' village for the entire month of February so far.

"I am so relieved now that all the races are done," he said. "I want to go eat some pizza and pasta now."

Yonhap