Hwang Dae-heon's 銀 and Lin Xiaojun are eliminated. "Confused joy and sorrow." [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

The joys and sorrows of Hwang Dae-heon (27) and Lin Xiao-jun (30, Korean name Lim Hyo-jun) faced at the 2026 Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo (Italy) Winter Olympics were sharply mixed. Hwang Dae-heon won the silver medal on the men's 1,500m short track podium, but Lin Xiaojun fell alone in the quarterfinals earlier and was eliminated. The two were involved in a "bad relationship" when they were in the Korean national team in the past, so the mixed joy and sorrow of the day drew more attention.

Hwang Dae-heon won a silver medal in the men's 1500m short track final at Milan Ice Skating Arena on the 15th (Korea time) after Jens Pant Bout of the Netherlands with a time of 2:12.304. Following the men's 500m silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, the men's 1500m gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Games, and the men's 5,000m relay silver medal, it is a medal for three consecutive Olympics.

Earlier on the 13th, Hwang Dae-heon, who was eliminated from the men's 1,000m short track final after contacting Tön Bour from the Netherlands and was given a penalty, took the podium in the 1,500m held in two days and made a turnaround. Hwang Dae-heon's medal is also the fifth medal of the Korean team (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze).

On the other hand, Lin Xiaojun was eliminated early without reaching the final. Lin Xiaojun fell with eight laps left of the finish line in Group 4 of the quarterfinals. At one point, he rose to the lead, but lost his balance while turning a corner. In the end, Lin Xiaojun got up again and withdrew without running the race. The 1500m is also an event in which he won the Olympic gold medal with the national flag at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

In particular, the mixed joys and sorrows of Hwang Dae-heon and Lin Xiao-jun drew more attention, coupled with the "bad relationship" between the two that led to Lin Xiao-jun's naturalization in China.

Those who were once close to the Korean national short track team, including being roommates, were entangled in an unsavory affair in 2019. This is because Lin Xiaojun, who was Lim Hyo-jun at the time, pulled his pants while playing with Hwang Dae-heon during national team training, and was indicted on charges of revealing body parts in the process (forced harassment).

Later, Lin Xiaojun was sentenced to "not guilty" after a court battle. In the first trial, he admitted Lin Xiaojun's charges and sentenced him to a fine of 3 million won, but in the second trial, he overturned the ruling not guilty, saying, "It is difficult to say that the act was intended to cause sexual shame or disgust just by the defendant pulling his shorts." After that, the Supreme Court rejected the prosecutor's appeal, and the final "not guilty" was confirmed.

However, in the process, Lin Xiaojun returned the Taegeuk mark and chose to "naturalize in China" instead. At that time, when the Korean Skating Union suspended the athlete's qualification for one year, he chose to naturalize in China to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The court's acquittal was already confirmed after his naturalization in China and could not be reversed. Lin Xiaojun has become so far away from Korea that he interviewed, "I feel proud every time I listen to the Chinese national anthem."

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter, "In order to change his nationality and participate in the Olympics, three years after the international competition he participated as an existing nationality," Lin Xiaojun was not allowed to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Instead, four more years later, he stood on the Olympic stage for the first time in eight years through the Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. However, he bowed his head earlier in the men's 1,000m and 1,500m on the same day amid the pain of early elimination from the quarterfinals. It was a more bitter day for Lin Xiaojun in that Hwang Dae-heon, who was bound to be a "bad actor" for him, took the Olympic podium.

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*This content was translated by AI.