SEOUL - South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun clinched second place in the overall World Cup standings following a silver medal performance in the season finale held in Canada.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim finished behind Femke Kok of the Netherlands in the second of two women's 500-meter races, clocking in at 37.91 seconds at the Centre de Glaces in Quebec City on Sunday (local time). Kok edged out Kim by 0.20 second to take the gold.
On the previous day, Kim outpaced Kok to win the gold in the first 500m event, setting a new track record of 37.69 seconds, surpassing her own previous record of 38.14 seconds set in December 2022. This marked the conclusion of the sixth and final World Cup stop for the 2023-2024 season. Despite a challenging start with two missed podiums while adjusting to a new pair of boots, Kim bounced back with her old skates to secure a podium finish in each of her next eight races, which included three golds.
Kim garnered 60 points for her gold on Saturday and added 54 points for her silver on Sunday. However, her total of 514 points was insufficient to overtake Erin Jackson of the United States, who finished the season eight points ahead to secure her second career World Cup overall title in three seasons. Jackson finished fifth and third in her two races in Quebec, narrowly maintaining her lead over Kim.
The 2022-2023 season saw Kim dominate the overall World Cup title, earning five gold medals and one silver in six races.