Choi Min-jeong Captures Gold in 1,000m Opener of National Team Retirement Season with Dominant Form

Living legend of short-track speed skating Choi Min-jeong kicked off her national team retirement season with a gold medal performance right from her very first race.

Competing at the World Tour Leg 1 in Vancouver, Canada, Choi advanced to the 1,000m final by finishing first overall in her preliminary heat, quarterfinal, and semifinal.

She showcased her overwhelming skill in the final as well.

After maintaining third place in the early stages, she attacked the outside lane with two and a half laps remaining to move up to second, and then immediately sliced through the inside to overtake the leader, Sandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands.

Surpassing two skaters in just half a lap to claim the lead, Choi did not slow down and widened the gap with the second-place skater, crossing the finish line first while clenching both fists in celebration.

Displaying unwavering form even in her national team retirement season at the age of 28, she won the gold medal to take a powerful first step toward a brilliant finale.

Choi also claimed a silver medal in the women's 3,000m relay.

In the semifinal, with the national team running in third place until three laps to go in a moment where a spot in the final was uncertain, Choi surged around the outside to instantly take the lead before handing the baton to Kim Gil-li, who maintained the lead to the end to reach the final as first in their heat.

In the final, after receiving the baton from Kim Gil-li with two laps remaining, Choi temporarily dropped to fourth place, but moved up to second amid a collision between the Netherlands and Italy, crossing the finish line behind Canada to secure the silver medal.

Having won seven medals—including four golds—across three Olympic games from Pyeongchang and Beijing to the Milan Olympics, the most by any South Korean athlete, Choi announced her retirement from the Olympics following the Milan competition last February and stated that she will also retire from the national team after this season.

Choi, who plans to take off the familiar Taegeuk mark at the World Championships held in Seoul next March, will challenge for additional gold medals tomorrow (October 26) in her pet event, the 1,500m, as well as the 500m and the mixed relay.

{Choi Min-jeong / Short-Track National Team Athlete: Thanks to many Korean fans coming out to cheer, I was able to gain strength and do well. This World Tour series is my final season, and I will do my best in every single race so there are no regrets.}

In the men's 1,500m, Lim Jong-eun won the silver medal behind Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands.

(Reported by Kim Hyeong-yeol | Video by Lee Jae-seong | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.