Beijing, China, February 16, 2022: Korea ended the short track speed skating competition in sparkling style when Choi Min-jeong defended her Olympic women’s 1,500m title at the Capital Indoor Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Choi, who had already won two silver medals at Beijing 2022 but desperately wanted more, beat a top-class field to win the third Olympic gold medal of her career.
The 23-year-old three-time world champion came home in 2 minutes 17.789 seconds. Italy’s Arianna Fontana was second in 2:17.862 for silver and Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands took bronze in 2:17.865.
Earlier in the evening, Korea had won the silver medal in the men’s 5,000 metres relay, meaning the Taeguk Warriors left the stadium with a gold and a silver on the last night of racing. It was also Korea’s second gold medal of the Winter Olympics, both of them in short track speed skating.
Of the nine gold medals available in the short track competition, China, Korea and the Netherlands won two each, while Italy, Hungary and Canada won one apiece.
Choi is known as the “Queen of Korean Short Track” and came up with gold for the women’s team at the last attempt, displaying composure and high-speed racing craft to hold off Beijing 2022 500m champion Fontana and 1,000m gold medallist Schulting.
In the seven-strong final, Lee Yu-bin of Korea was sixth and China’s Han Yutong seventh after trying to go early on her own, only to be caught by the pack.
World record-holder Choi had set a new Olympic record of 2:16.831 in winning the third semi-final in typically swashbuckling style around the outside. The previous mark was 2:16.993 set by China’s Zhou Yang at Vancouver 2010.
The first final of the night was the men’s 5,000 metres relay, won by Canada in fine style ahead of Korea in second place.
In the five-team final, Italy beat the Russian Olympic Committee in a photo finish to take the bronze. China’s medal chances disappeared when Sun Long lost his footing coming into a changeover and fell before tagging the next skater.
The Canadians won in 6 minutes, 41.257 seconds, with Korea coming home in 6:41.679. Italy took bronze in 6:43.431 compared to ROC’s 6:43.440. China were clocked at 6:51.654 in fifth.
The five Koreans listed in the team were Lee June-seo, Kim Dong-wook, Hwang Dae-heon, Kwak Yoon-gy and Park Jang-hyuk.
The pink-haired Kwak - a veteran of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics - treated the spectators to a special medal celebration, jumping on the podium earlier than his four colleagues and performing a neat dance move.