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From uphill battles to downhill success, alpine skier Jung Dong-hyun caps 5 Games in Milan

Published: 23 Feb. 2026, 05:00

CHO YONG-JUN
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Jung Dong-hyun competes in the first run of the men's giant slalom alpine skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Stelvia Ski Centre on Feb. 14. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korea’s alpine skiing pioneer, Jung Dong-hyun, wrote his name in the Korean Winter Olympic history books with his fifth appearance on Monday, finishing 33rd in the men’s giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games — tying for a best-ever finish by a Korean Skier.

Jung recorded a combined time of 2 minutes, 35.41 seconds on Saturday and landed 33rd, even with Hur Seung-wook's record in 1998. Jung, along with Hur, is one of the very few athletes who participated in the Winter Olympics five times in a row.

The skier, however, recorded a DNF in the men's slalom's first run on Monday.

Jung Dong-hyun competes in the first run of the men's giant slalom alpine skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Stelvia Ski Centre on Feb. 14. [AFP/YONHAP]

Jung specializes in the slalom, which has the shortest course and requires skiers to take on sharp and tight turns around the gates, while the giant slalom features a longer course, which allows athletes to go for wider turns at a higher speed.

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games marked his fifth appearance at the Olympics in a journey that began 16 years ago at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. However, his path to becoming the face of Korean alpine skiing has been anything but a smooth downhill glide.

Born in Goseon county in Gangwon, near the slopes of a ski resort, Jung naturally began skiing at the age of three and quickly rose to prominence as a skier.

In 2002, at the age of 12, Jung Dong-hyun, right, after winning three gold medals at the National Winter Sports Festival and being named the most valuable player, a first for an elementary school student. [JOONGANG ILBO]

In 2002, at the age of 12, Jung won three gold medals at the National Winter Sports Festival and was named the most valuable player — a first for an elementary school student.

But since the early stages of his career, Jung has been fighting with different injuries. In 2006, he had to undergo surgery for a herniated disc, and had to battle through a fractured finger in 2009.

His first Olympic entry in 2010 was also interrupted by a right thigh injury, which he suffered only a week before the Games after his leg was cut by the sharp edge of a ski at the National Winter Sports Festival.

Although Jung bravely soldiered on to the Olympics after undergoing treatment to stitch the wound, he ended up having to give up the race due to the injury.

“I think I was living with injuries every few years,” the skier said in an interview with JTBC ahead of the 2026 Olympics. “I do think getting injuries is a necessary part of being an athlete, but it takes time to get back on track, and that’s been tough for me.”

Jung Dong-hyun in 2017 [KOREA SKI ASSOCIATION]

While such setbacks end many careers, Jung persisted. He captured gold at the 2011 Astana-Almaty Asian Winter Games and again at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games. He also finished 14th at the FIS World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia, claiming the highest-ever finish by a Korean skier at the World Cup.

Even into his 30s, Jung continued to perform. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, he finished 21st in the men’s slalom, delivering yet another highest-ever finish by a Korean in alpine skiing. The success continued as he won silver at the Harbin Asian Winter Games in 2025.

Jung Dong-hyun competes during the men's slalom of alpine skiing event at the Asian Winter Games on Feb. 9, 2025. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

"The joy [of alpine skiing] comes when I'm done with the course, after taking every turn," Jung said in an interview with JTBC, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

"The sense of joy I feel after I achieve a good time, that's the charm for me."

[insert details of his Olympic performance ]

With the xxth finish at his fifth Olympics, Jung showed that age is just a number.

He now hopes that more people become interested in alpine skiing, a sport that not many Koreans are familiar with.

Jung Dong-hyun competes in the first run of the men's giant slalom alpine skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Stelvia Ski Centre on Feb. 14. [AFP/YONHAP]

“It’s not a popular sport, and I hope people take more interest in it and support the athletes."

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]