"I endured it on all fours" Kim Ki-li, the story of the golden sprint of anger... "Collision crisis." Choi Min-jeong said, "Don't panic and stay calm." [the scene of Milan]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean women's relay team, which succeeded in the gold run, expressed a overwhelming feeling.

The Korean national team, consisting of Choi Min-jeong, Kim Ki-li (Sungnam City Hall), Noh Do-hee (Hwasong City Hall), and Shim Suk-hee (Seoul City Hall), was the first to cross the finish line in 4:04:014 in the women's 3,000m relay final at the '2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics' held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on the 18th (local time).

Host country Italy won silver with a time of 4:04.107 and Canada won bronze with a time of 4:04.314.

As a result, South Korea has proved itself a traditional powerhouse in this event, winning seven gold medals and one silver medal in the women's relay at the previous Winter Olympics.

After winning four consecutive gold medals from the 1994 Lillehammer Games to the 2006 Torino Games, he lost the gold medal to China at the 2010 Vancouver Games, but won back-to-back championships in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018. South Korea, which lost the title to the Netherlands at the 2022 Beijing Games and won the silver medal, succeeded in retaking the gold medal for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

The women's national team's "Double Horse" Choi Min-jeong and Kim Gili's seasoned game management, Shim Suk-hee's synergy with a history of winning the Olympic relay, and Noh Do-hee, who served as a perfect bridge, led to the gold medal as a result of the best race.

In this final, all three teams were strong teams with a winning record: Canada with Courtney Saro, the No. 1 overall World Tour player in the 2025-2026 season, the Netherlands with Sandra Belzebur, who won two gold medals in this competition, and Italy with the most Olympic short track medal, Ariana Fontana. However, with Korea's best performance, he finally won the gold medal.

After the game, the faces of the players who met in the joint coverage area (Mix Zone) bloomed with laughter. Kim Ki-li laughed, saying, "I was so happy that I just wanted to run to my sisters."

When he mentioned that the last-minute run was like a "furious run," he said, "As soon as player No. 1 fell back, I thought, 'Oh, I should definitely win first place.' I was thrilled when I turned the tables," he recalled. As for the moment of crossing the finish line, he said, "I think it passed like a dream, and I just looked ahead and ran."

Kim Ki-li, who had a regretful memory of falling in the last game, said, "I had no fear of falling this time," stressing, "I almost tried to keep my place without falling even if I was on all fours."

It was ace Choi Min-jeong who took the center stage of the crisis. Choi Min-jeong, who was running third in the race, had a dizzying situation in which the Netherlands, which was fighting for the lead, almost fell, but fortunately avoided it well. Choi Min-jeong said, "There were many embarrassing and dangerous situations for other players, but fortunately, they responded calmly and well, leading to good results."

"I was grateful for the opportunity itself, but it's like a dream and it's a good thing to set a new record through the results," he said, who set the record for the most medals in the Korean Olympics with this gold medal.

Shim Suk-hee, who won the relay gold medal for three consecutive events, gave credit to her juniors. "Because I met the team members well, I think I can continue to take good results," he said.

When asked how he felt when he touched the last runner Kim Ki-li in second place, he replied, "Because I trusted (Kim) Gili, I tried to convey all the speed and strength I had."

Shim Suk-hee also shed tears during the interview. "There were many difficult processes in the preparation process for the Olympics and today's final game, but I was so overwhelmed that all of our players seemed to have held up and overcome well together," he said.

Noh Do-hee, who won her first Olympic gold medal in her 30s, also became teary-eyed. "I'm so grateful to my juniors because I feel like they gave me such a big gift," he said. "I've been a member for a long time, and I feel different because my younger brothers followed and trusted me well."

Although they achieved the task of retaking the top spot for the first time in eight years, the players' eyes were already on the next. Choi Min-jeong and Shim Suk-hee left the mixed zone, saying, "I will only think of 1,000m the day after tomorrow," and "I will live hard every day."

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*This content was translated by AI.