Lin Xiaojun, a 'naturalized Chinese' criticizes China for the humiliation of 'no medal' [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

• All three individual events are out of the quarterfinals

Lin Xiaojun (30, Korean name Lim Hyo-jun), a gold medalist in the men's 1,500m short track speed skating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and naturalized from South Korea to China to participate in the Olympics, failed to win a "no medal" on the stage of the Winter Olympics for the first time in eight years.

Lin Xiaojun was eliminated early in the men's 500m short track short track in Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, finishing fourth with a time of 40.638 seconds in the third group of the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo quarter final at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on the 19th (Korea Standard Time).

Lin Xiaojun, who had previously been eliminated from the quarterfinals in the men's 1,000m and 1,500m, bowed his head without reaching even the semifinals in all individual events in this competition. In the mixed relay, China entered the final, but Lin Xiaojun was not able to participate, and he was also eliminated in the semifinals in the men's 5,000m relay.

Lin Xiaojun is a Korean name Lim Hyo-joon at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, representing Korea's short track speed skating team and winning the men's 1,500m gold medal and men's 500m bronze medal, quickly becoming an ace. However, the following year, he was accused of forced harassment after playing a prank with Hwang Dae-heon's pants down during national training, and later was suspended for one year by the Korean Skating Union.

After being suspended by the federation, Lim Hyo-joon decided to naturalize in China instead of Korean nationality to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. After a long legal battle, Lim Hyo-joon was finally acquitted of the charge of forced harassment, but his nationality had already changed to China.

However, Lin Xiaojun did not make it to the Beijing Olympics. It has been blocked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter, which states that three years after an international competition with an existing nationality to participate in the Olympics by changing nationality. In the end, Lin Xiaojun did not participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but through this competition, he returned to the Olympic stage after eight years.

Lim Hyo-joon, who received a lot of attention in China even before the competition, however, failed to show competitiveness with his skills falling significantly due to the aftermath of his injury. In the end, he was eliminated from the quarter-final gate one after another in the individual competition in which he participated, and ended up returning to China in vain.

As expectations were high, there are also criticisms from the local area. Chinese media 163 said, "Lin Xiaojun's performance in the men's 500m short track speed skating was not as good as expected, eventually ending his journey at the Milan Winter Olympics." All three individual events participated did not even make the top eight, he said.

"It seems difficult for Lin to recreate the glory of the past. This is probably the main reason why he was not selected for the mixed relay team," he said. "In the Winter Olympics, which was held again in eight years, Lin Xiaojun finished the competition empty-handed without winning a single medal. Four years later, the Olympics will be 33 years old, so it will be difficult to participate in the Olympics again as the Chinese national team," he added.

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*This content was translated by AI.