*This content was translated by AI.
China expressed high expectations for Lin Xiaojun (30, Korean name Lim Hyo-jun) to participate in the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.
Chinese media drew attention by describing Lin Xiaojun as a "hero of misfortune." "Tent Sports," which specializes in Chinese sports, said on the 23rd (Korea time), "Lin Xiaojun, a genius abandoned by South Korea, was included in the list of the Winter Olympics. I vowed to write a new history for China."
On the 23rd, China's National Sports Administration announced a list of 124 athletes participating in the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, including Lin Xiaojun.
A total of 10 players, including Xiaoang Liu, who was naturalized in Hungary, Sun Long and Li Wenlong, and Pankusin, who competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, were listed on the Chinese short track team, and Lin Xiaojun, who was naturalized from South Korea to China, drew attention.
The media said, "A genius who was heartlessly abandoned by South Korea in the past will finally stand on the Olympic stage with the Five Star Red Flag on his chest."
"Lin Xiaojun suffered unfair treatment and oppression in Korea, but he did not give up," he said. "His return is a stage to prove himself beyond the simple challenge of winning a gold medal."
He also wrapped up Lin Xiaojun's participation in the Olympics as a "revenge" against South Korea. "Lin Xiaojun has only one goal, facing Korean players who are old teammates and now opponents," the media said. "His only goal is to beat the Korean team in the final and make the Chinese national anthem resonate in Milan."
Lin Xiaojun won the men's 1500m gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and played a leading role in Korean short track. However, after being suspended by the federation in June 2019 for an unsavory incident during training, he chose to become a naturalized Chinese citizen with the aim of participating in the 2022 Beijing Olympics after a legal battle.
Although the participation in the Beijing Olympics was canceled according to the IOC Charter, which included restrictions on the participation of nationality change athletes, he was later selected as a member of the Chinese national team and sought to make a comeback. After returning to the international stage in the 2022-2023 season, he has been competing with Korean players at the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games.
It is said that he recently recovered his sense of practice by winning a silver medal in the 500m in the third round of the world tour in the 2025-2026 season after overcoming a gap in shoulder surgery.
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*This content was translated by AI.
