▲ Choi Min-jeong
Choi Min-jeong (28, Seongnam City Hall), a living legend of South Korean short track speed skating, has displayed dominant form in the first World Tour event of her final season representing the national flag.
On the 24th (KST), Choi passed the preliminaries for all events she entered in first place in her respective heats on the opening day of the 2026-2027 International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Tour Leg 1 held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada.
First, in Heat 5 of the women's 500m second preliminary, she crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 43.613 seconds, beating Margherita Betti (44.419) of Italy.
She also claimed first place in Heat 4 of the women's 1,000m second preliminary with a time of 1:30.820.
In the quarterfinals of her signature event, the women's 1,500m, she easily outpaced her competitors.
Competing in Heat 3, Choi finished first with a time of 2:36.097, leaving China's Zhang Jianing (2:36.174) behind.
Having finished first in all individual events she entered, Choi will begin her quest for medals tomorrow (the 25th).
Following the first national team selection trials for short track in April, Choi announced that she would return her national team spot after concluding the 2026-2027 season.
She continues to showcase world-class skills even in her retirement season.
In the women's 500m second preliminary, all South Korean athletes except Choi were eliminated.
Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) finished fourth in Heat 7, while Kim Min-ji (Korea National Sport University) and Choi Ji-hyun (Jeonbuk State-hometown Office) also faced early exits.
Conversely, all South Korean skaters advanced to the next round in the women's 1,000m and 1,500m events.
In the women's 1,000m second preliminary, Kim Gil-li and Shim Suk-hee (Seoul City Hall) advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing second in Heats 7 and 8, respectively.
In the women's 1,500m quarterfinals, Kim Gil-li, Kim Min-ji, and Shim Suk-hee all safely advanced, claiming the top three spots in Heat 1.
In the men's division, Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) shone brightly.
Lim advanced to the next round in all of the men's 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m events, and also helped secure a spot in the semifinals by competing in the mixed 2,000m relay.
In Heat 1 of the men's 500m second preliminary, Lim finished first with a time of 40.702 seconds, defeating Canadian veteran skater Steven Dubois.
Lee Jung-min (Seongnam City Hall), who also competed in this event, advanced by finishing second in Heat 7.
Bae Seo-chan (Goyang City Hall) and Kim Tae-sung (Hwaseong City Hall) were eliminated.
In the men's 1,000m second preliminary, Lim Jong-eon survived as first in Heat 1, and Bae Seo-chan as third in Heat 7.
Kim Tae-sung was eliminated after placing third in Heat 8.
The 1,000m second preliminary advances the top two skaters from each heat, along with the two fastest third-place finishers across all heats.
In the men's 1,500m quarterfinals, Lim Jong-eon took first place in Heat 4 with a time of 2:27.754, while Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) advanced alongside him in second.
Bae Seo-chan, skating in Heat 3, survived by finishing second with a time of 2:17.420.
Lee Jung-min of Heat 1 also advanced to the semifinals in second place.
South Korea also reached the semifinals in the men's 5,000m relay.
Shin Dong-min, Lee Jung-min, Kim Tae-sung, and Lee Kyu-ho (Korea National Sport University) crossed the finish line first in Heat 2 of the quarterfinals with a time of 7:20.151, beating Great Britain (7:22.165).
The national team also succeeded in advancing to the semifinals in the mixed 2,000m event.
Lim Jong-eon, Bae Seo-chan, Shim Suk-hee, and Kim Min-ji claimed first place in Heat 2 of the quarterfinals with a time of 2:41.741, pushing past Poland.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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