Milan: After falling short on the first day of short track speed skating at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, South Korea is set to make another attempt on Thursday to clinch its first medal in the sport.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals for the women's 500 meters and the men's 1,000 meters are slated to take place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. The events will kick off at 8:15 p.m. and will feature three South Korean athletes in each category. Competing in the women's 500m are Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, and Lee So-yeon, while Rim Jong-un, Shin Dong-min, and Hwang Dae-heon will represent South Korea in the men's 1,000m.
On Tuesday, South Korea's hopes were dashed in the semifinals of the mixed team relay when Kim collided with Corinne Stoddard from the United States, who had fallen in front of her. Despite sustaining a bleeding injury on her right arm, Kim is expected to continue competing throughout the Olympics.
Historically, South Korea has been a dominant force in Olympic short track, leading with 26 gold medals and 53 medals overall. However, the country has yet to secure a gold in the women's 500m and has not seen a champion in the men's 1,000m since Lee Jung-su's victory in 2010.
In addition to the short track events, Thursday will also mark the beginning of the women's curling tournament at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, located 260 kilometers northeast of Milan. The South Korean team, currently ranked third in the world and led by skip Gim Eun-ji, will launch their nine-match round-robin tournament against the United States in the morning session, followed by another match against Italy in the evening. The top four teams from the round-robin will advance to the semifinals.
Furthermore, Tuesday in Cortina d'Ampezzo will see Jung Seung-gi and Kim Ji-soo embarking on their initial two runs out of four in the men's skeleton event.