Im Jong-eon fell in the quarterfinals of the 1500m "It's all twisted from start to finish... "I'm sorry that I didn't show you what I prepared" [the scene of Milan]

*This content was translated by AI.

The worst result was that "the favorite" Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) was eliminated. Im Jong-eon bowed his head, saying, "I'm sorry I couldn't show you what I prepared."

Im Jong-eon was eliminated in Group 5 of the men's 1500m short track quarterfinal at the '2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics' held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on the 14th (local time) with a time of 2:38:452 and sixth place.

The men's 1,500m is a filial piety event that Korea has traditionally maintained at the top. In this competition, the best members, including Hwang Dae-heon, Lim Jong-eon, and Shin Dong-min, participated in the medal hunt. The result was disappointing from the quarterfinals.

Unlike Hwang Dae-heon, who settled in the semifinals without difficulty in the previous group, an unexpected scene came out in the Group 5 match, where Im Jong-eon and Shin Dong-min were assigned together.

The two put up a second-half spurt to win a direct ticket given only to the top three in each group, but it was not easy to enter the lead.

There was a situation where Im Jong-eon and Shin Dong-min overlapped for the third place, the last lap of fate. In Shin Dong-min's attempt to overtake the corner section, Im Jong-eon lost his balance and fell. In the end, Shin Dong-min struggled to reach the semifinals in third place, but Lim Jong-eon, a strong favorite, was eliminated in vain.

Lim Jong-eon's face, which he met in the joint coverage area (Mix Zone) after the game, was full of regret. "I've been confident in 1,500m while preparing, but I'm sorry to everyone that I couldn't show you anything I prepared," he said, bending his head down.

Regarding the game, he said, "It's a game that's been twisted from beginning to end, so I'm very upset and sad."

Regarding the collision and the fall, Im Jong-eon mentioned that the ice quality was not good. "At the end, I tried to finish it by coming inside, but as I applied strength from the bad ice quality, I fell unexpectedly and came up with a disappointing result," he explained.

He added, "The ice was a little softer than usual, so it was bad, and I think other players fell a little bit there." When asked if he had stepped on the block, he drew the line, saying, "That's not true."

Although I had a bitter cup in the main event, the Olympics are not over yet. The men's 500m race is left. "I have a game next week, so I have to forget it and shake it off quickly, but it won't be easy, but I will regain my mind," Lim Jong-eon said. "I will focus on the next game again and prepare harder to play a game without regret."

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*This content was translated by AI.