S. Korea Falls Short in Short Track Mixed Relay at Winter Olympics

Milan: South Korea failed to reach the podium in the mixed relay in short track speed skating at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday. The quartet of Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Rim Jong-un, and Hwang Dae-heon finished third in their group in the semifinals at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, with only the top two nations from the two groups progressing to the final. According to Yonhap News Agency, with six laps remaining in this 18-lap, 2,000-meter race, Kim got tripped up by Corinne Stoddard of the United States, who lost her balance and fell after briefly moving out in front. South Korea was in third place at the time behind the U.S. and Canada. South Korea crossed the line in third place and settled for the consolation "B" final. A South Korean team official appeared to lodge an on-site protest with officials, apparently asking for an "advancement" for South Korea due to a U.S. penalty, but the final results did not change. The referee of the given race may choose to push a skater or a team t hrough to the next round when a skater who was in a strong position is fouled or blocked by another skater. Canada and Belgium made it out of South Korea's group, and Italy and China advanced to the final from the other group. The mixed relay, featuring two female and two male skaters per team, made its Olympic debut in 2022 in Beijing. South Korea crashed out of the quarterfinals then and failed to get its redemption this year. This was the first day of the short track competition in Milan. It will continue Thursday with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals in the women's 500m and the men's 1,000m.