Im Jong-eon Honored "Best New Artist" at the First ISU Short Track Awards "Glory in the First Year of Senior Debut"

*This content was translated by AI.

Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall), the ace of Korean men's short track speed skating, was selected as the first "best rookie" at the short track awards established by the International Skating Union (ISU).

According to ISU on the 16th, the federation held the '1st ISU Short Track Awards' shortly after the 2026 Short Track World Championships, which ended in Montreal, Canada on the 15th (Korea Standard Time).

This event is the first solo awards ceremony introduced by ISU only for a single short track event, and it is a venue to highlight stars who heated the ice in the 2025-2026 season.

Lim Jong-eon was definitely the winner of the Rookie of the Year award, which is given to a player who achieved overwhelming performance upon his senior stage debut. Lim Jong-eon, who shot a brilliant signal by winning the men's 1,500m in the first short track world tour this season, continued his outstanding performance throughout the season.

In particular, he won the men's 1,000m bronze medal and the 5,000m relay silver medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, his first Olympics in his life, making his name known around the world. At the following World Championships, he won two gold medals by winning the men's 1,500m and 1,000m titles in a row.

Im Jong-eon said, "I am grateful and honored to be able to play on all the big stages of the world tour, the Olympics, and the World Championships in the first year of my senior debut," adding, "I will develop into a more confident figure in the future using this year's valuable experience as a foothold."

Meanwhile, Thomas Nadalini of Italy won the "Most Improved Player Award" given to the player who showed the best performance this season. Zandra Belzebur of the Netherlands, who set a new world record in the women's 500m semi-final at the Milan Olympics, won the 'World Record Award'.

The men's and women's "Crystal Globes," given to the season's best player (world No. 1), were won by Canada's William Dandanu and Courtney Saro, respectively. The Team Crystal Globe, a group prize, was also attributed to Canada.

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*This content was translated by AI.