*This content was translated by AI.
With the opening of the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo (Italy) Winter Olympics just a week away, the Chinese media remained vigilant, calling South Korea an absolute short track powerhouse. China is also aiming for many medals in short track events, but South Korea is the most successful country in the history of short track at the Olympics.
In an article predicting the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics of the Chinese short track team on the 30th (Korea time), China's Xinhua News Agency introduced, "Korea is the most successful country in Olympic short track history, winning a total of 53 medals, including 26 gold medals in all-time Olympics."
"South Korea also won two gold medals and three silver medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. South Korea, led by Choi Min-jeong, who won three gold medals in the Olympics alone, and led by Kim Ki-li, also beat China to the top at the Winter Asian Games last year.
In fact, South Korea has established its strongest position in the world in short track, with gold medalists from all winter Olympics, including two gold medals and one bronze medal at the 1992 Albertville Games. Im Jong-eon, Hwang Dae-heon, Shin Dong-min, Lee Jung-min and Lee Jun-seo will play as the men's team, while Choi Min-jeong and Kim Ki-li, Noh Do-hee, Lee So-yeon and Shim Suk-hee will play as the women's team, respectively.
Among them, Choi Min-jeong is trying to win the women's 1,500m title for the first time in a row following the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and the 2022 Beijing Games. Hwang Dae-heon is also trying to win his second consecutive men's 1,500m title. In addition, the women's 3,000-meter relay and the men's 5,000-meter relay, which won silver medals side by side at the Beijing Games, are challenging to regain the top spot for the first time in eight and 20 years, respectively.
"Short track is one of China's most successful events," Xinhua said. Since the first gold medal in 2002, more than half of China's Winter Olympics medals have come from short track, he said. "In this competition, fierce competition with Canada, the Netherlands, and Italy, as well as South Korea, an absolute powerhouse, is inevitable."
Still, the high expectations in China are the men's team with Lin Xiaojun (Korean name Lim Hyo-jun), who was naturalized to China from Korea. Lin Xiaojun won the men's 1,500m gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games when he was a Korean national, but he was suspended for a year by the Korea Skating Union after being controversial after playing a prank to lower the pants of a junior player of the same sex during training the following year. He was later naturalized to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics, and was belatedly acquitted of the charges of forced harassment after a long court battle.
"The Chinese men's short track has been the world champion twice over the past three years, and in particular, Lin Xiaojun, the men's 500m world champion in 2024, Sun Long, the world 1,500m champion, and Liu Xiaoang took the podium in this season's world tour," the news agency said. "The women's team is set to make its Olympic debut, with veteran Pankusin competing in the fourth World Cup."
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*This content was translated by AI.
