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Olympic short track silver medalist Hwang Dae-heon announces a year off

Published: 02 Apr. 2026, 19:06

Korea's Hwang Dae-heon celebrates after winning a silver medal in the men's 1,500-meter final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [AP/YONHAP]

Short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon will not compete in the upcoming national team trials and will thus not represent Korea in the 2026-27 season, his representative said on Thursday.

“Hwang has decided not to participate in the 2026-27 national team trials,” the representative said. “He is experiencing physical and mental fatigue, so he will take a season off from national team duties and focus on rest and individual training.”

The trials are set to begin on April 7 at Mokdong Ice Rink in western Seoul.

Hwang, 26, has seen huge success with the national team, winning multiple medals from the Olympics and world championships, including two silver medals from the men's 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter relay races at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

His decision to take a break follows a social media post on March 2 saying that he would address some controversies surrounding him after the 2026 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, which ended on March 15, although he has yet to do so.

Hwang previously drew attention in 2019 when he raised allegations that fellow Korean skater Lim Hyo-jun pulled down his pants during national team training.

Lim received a one-year suspension from the Korea Skating Union over allegations of sexual harassment, but later changed nationality to China and now competes for China with his Chinese name Lin Xiaojun.

The Supreme Court later acquitted Lim after more details emerged, with many involved with the national program of the opinion that the incident was blown out of proportion.

Hwang also faced criticism during the 2024 national team trials after repeatedly fouling Park Ji-won.

Hwang faced backlash again during the 2026 Olympics when he did not respond to a reporter’s question at a press conference following his silver medal in the men’s 1,500 meters.

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 PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]