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Former Korean skater Lin Xiaojun finds little Olympic success with China

Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 13:07 Updated: 24 Feb. 2026, 18:40

Lin Xiaojun of China crashes in the quarterfinals during the men's 1,500-meter short track speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan on Feb. 14. [AP/YONHAP]

MILAN — Eight years after skating for the Olympics as a Korean skater, Lin Xiaojun arrived at the 2026 Winter Games under a different name than the one he was born with: Lim Hyo-jun.

The short track speed skater now competing for China had changed countries, changed his name and waited out both a suspension and the International Olympic Committee’s three-year nationality rule.

He left these Games without a medal.

For most of the fortnight, China’s media officials declined repeated interview requests. Outside the rink, though, his profile was unmistakable. Chinese fans held placards with his face. Security walked alongside him as he moved through the arena corridors.

“I know he’s from Korea, but nationality doesn’t matter," one fan said.

Chinese supporters of Lin Xiaojun hold up fans with the short track speed skater's face in front of the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy. [PARK LIN]

On Saturday, after completing his last race, Lin finally stopped in the mixed zone and spoke.

“Eight years felt both long and short,” he said. “As a man, I didn’t want to fail, so I covered my ears and closed my eyes. Short track became my whole life.”

Mention of short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon, who brought the 2019 complaint that led to Lin’s suspension, did not draw much reaction.

“It’s all in the past. We were young then. Life goes up and down,” Lin said.

The two first reunited at an international event after the incident that reshaped Lin’s career. Lin extended his hand first.

China’s Lin Xiaojun leaves the rink after finishing fourth in the men’s 1,500 meters quarterfinals in short track speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy, on Feb. 14. [KIM JONG-HO]

Lin has never publicly laid out his reasons for switching nationalities. The timeline, however, begins in June 2019 at Korea’s national training center in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong.

During a training session, "Hwang struck a female skater on the buttocks as she climbed an indoor rock wall," according to a person who viewed the surveillance camera footage.

"Moments later, Lin pulled down Hwang’s shorts while he climbed. His butt crack was briefly exposed," the person said.

Inside the training center, teammates described the atmosphere as playful. The consequences proved anything but.

Hwang filed a complaint for indecent assault. Lin went to Hwang’s home to apologize but Hwang did not open the door and contacted the police. The case unfolded at a volatile moment for Korean skating, which was already under scrutiny following revelations of abuse by former coach Cho Jae-beom.

The Korea Skating Union handed Lin a one-year suspension.

Female national team skater Noh Do-hee, who was present during the training session in question, later said the incident occurred in a "joking environment." Some athletes submitted petitions on Lin’s behalf. But few took a leading role publicly. In short track, where national team selection is unforgiving and roster spots scarce, one skater’s suspension can reshape another’s opportunity.

China's Lin Xiaojun, center, trains at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 13. [KIM JONG-HO]

Senior officials offered little resistance to the punishment.

Shin Chi-yong, then head of the Jincheon National Training Center, later said, “It should have ended with a warning. It wasn’t something that needed to go that far."

"People around the situation pushed it in the wrong direction. They created circumstances that left Lim no choice but to leave.”

Sung Baik-you, former spokesperson for the PyeongChang Olympics committee, was more blunt: “No adult took responsibility at the time. The president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, the coaches, the elders — they were cowardly.”

Within skating circles, another interpretation persists. Some believe Lin’s refusal to align with a powerful figure in the sport led to a harsher outcome. The individual who allegedly pressured him to join a specific team appeared again at these Games.

Though formally suspended for one year, the fallout cost him closer to two. Although he obtained an injunction that temporarily nullified the ban, uncertainty clouded his training and competition schedule.

During that period, China approached him. Kim Sun-tae, then coach of China’s national team, and Chinese short track legend Wang Meng reportedly played key roles in recruiting him.

In May 2020, a lower court fined Lin, labeling him guilty of indecent assault. Four months later, an appellate court acquitted him, ruling that the incident occurred in "a playful atmosphere" and that he had "not intended to cause sexual humiliation." The judgment also noted that Hwang had struck a female teammate, knowing she would take it as a joke.

By then, Lim Hyo-jun had become Lin Xiaojun.

Korean short track speed skater Rim Jong-un, second from left, checks the results after finishing second in his heat to advance to the semifinals in the men’s 1,000 meters quarterfinals at the 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy, on Feb. 12. China’s Lin Xiaojun is at right. [NEWS1]

Some still question whether he should have waited for the legal process to conclude before changing nationalities. The comparison to Ahn Hyun-soo — who later competed for Russia as Viktor Ahn after failing to make the Korean team — surfaces often. The circumstances differ. Lin had already secured a place on Korea’s national team when the suspension cost him his Olympic path.

Speculation that financial hardship drove his decision does not align with his background. Lin grew up in a financially stable family. His objective, those close to him have said, centered on one target: the Olympics.

He once told his mother, “I’m more afraid of Korea than of going to another country.”

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 PARK LIN, KIM HYO-KYOUNG, KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]