Lausanne, Switzerland, January 18, 2020: Korea dominated the first day of short track speed skating at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games on Saturday, winning the gold and silver medals in both the ladies’ and men’s 1000m events.
After Seo Whi-min and Kim Chan-seo finished 1-2 respectively in the ladies’ final, Jang Sung-woo and Lee Jeong-min repeated the feat minutes later for gold and silver in the men’s at the Lausanne Skating Arena.
“I knew I had the ability to make a fast start and I used that well today,” said Seo, who took an early lead in the final and was never behind.
Silver medallist Kim added: “We are all good friends and we were all happy for each other winning medals today.”
Both Kim and bronze medallist Florence Brunelle (CAN) survived early-round crashes to advance to the final. Short track rules enable skaters to advance in special circumstances, such as when they have been taken out of the race by an opponent falling in front of them, as in Kim’s case.
“I was so lucky to win a silver medal,” Kim said after getting tied up with Barbara Somogyi (HUN) in the quarterfinals. “I felt okay after I fell but I thought there would be no chance to advance to the next round.”
In the men’s event, Jang and Lee placed 1-2 in the second semifinal before matching the result in the final. China’s Li Kongchao took bronze.
The only time the Korean pair looked vulnerable in the final was when Lee made an inside move on Jang near the end of the race, almost causing a fall.
“We are from the same country but we always compete hard against each other,” Jang said. “It’s a happy day to be first and second.”
Source: Olympic Information Service
