Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Arianna Fontana Wins Gold at Sixth Olympics, Extends Record to 12 Medals Italian short track star Arianna Fontana added another Olympic gold, reaching the top of the podium at her sixth Games. Fontana led Italy to victory in the short track mixed 2,000-meter relay final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Monday at the Milan Ice Skating Arena. The gold brought her career Olympic total to 12 medals — three gold, four silver and five bronze — extending the short track record for most Olympic medals. Fontana made her Olympic debut at the 2006 Turin Games and has competed at every Olympics since: Vancouver in 2010, Sochi in 2014, Pyeongchang in 2018, Beijing in 2022 and now Milan-Cortina, giving her six straight Olympic appearances. She won a medal at age 15 in Turin to become Italy’s youngest Winter Olympic medalist. Now 35, she again reached the podium and became the first woman to win medals at six consecutive Olympics. “We went into the race with a clear goal,” Fontana said. “Before we stepped on the ice, we told each other, ‘This is our home, and we came to defend it,’ and we kept that promise.” Asked about the medals she has collected over the years, Fontana said each one means something different and she could not rank them. “The Games have just started, and there are still many races left,” she said. Fontana said the medal would be a boost for the rest of her schedule, signaling she is aiming for more.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-11 01:48:00 -
South Korea’s Kim Gil-li Avoids Serious Injury After Mixed Relay Crash at Milan Olympics South Korea short track skater Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) avoided a serious injury after a collision with a U.S. athlete in the mixed relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, officials said. A national team official told Yonhap on Monday that Kim reported pain immediately after the race but was not expected to have major issues competing in her remaining events. “She should be able to compete normally in the remaining races,” the official said. Kim felt pain in her right arm after the crash, but it was not believed to prevent her from skating in upcoming races. Kim still has the women’s 3,000-meter relay and the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters left on her schedule at the Games. Kim, skating with Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) and Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), collided with U.S. skater Corinne Stoddard in the mixed 2,000-meter relay semifinal with eight laps remaining. Stoddard, who was skating ahead, slipped and fell, and Kim, close behind, crashed into her head-on and went down on the ice. South Korea fell behind after the collision and finished third, missing the final. Officials kept the results with no penalty assessed to the United States. South Korea filed an appeal seeking an advance based on a U.S. penalty, but the decision was not overturned. Kim did not skate in the B final because of pain, and Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) replaced her.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-11 00:36:00 -
U.S. Blames Soft Ice After Crash With South Korea Ends Mixed Relay Medal Bid The U.S. short track team blamed “soft ice” after a series of falls and a collision in the first short track event of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, saying the conditions affected the mixed 2,000-meter relay and shook up the medal race. U.S. national team skater Andrew Heo, a Korean American, said after the mixed relay on Feb. 10 (Korea time) that the ice felt duller than what the team is used to. “With a lot of spectators, the temperature went up, and I think that made the ice dull,” he told reporters in the mixed zone. “If the ice is too soft, you can’t apply power properly,” Heo said. “I think that’s why there were a lot of falls.” In the mixed 2,000-meter relay semifinal, the United States was leading when Corinne Stoddard slipped in a corner and dropped as far as fourth, missing the final. Stoddard collided with South Korea’s Kim Gil-li of Seongnam City Hall, and both skaters went down on the track. South Korea crossed the line third, missing its chance to compete for a medal. The U.S. team had other shaky moments. In the quarterfinals, Stoddard also fell, but a chain collision among other skaters in the same heat helped the United States advance in second place. Another Korean American skater, Brandon Kim, also pointed to the ice. He said sharing the venue with figure skating appeared to make the surface different from other competitions. “Short track and figure skating need different ice, but it seems there wasn’t enough time to change it,” he said. “When the ice is hard, you’re stable in the corners, but when it’s soft, it’s difficult,” he said. “We can’t change the ice, so we just have to do our best.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-11 00:24:00 -
Review: Kim Tae Yong’s ‘Number One’ Finds Quiet Comfort in Family Meals “It’s romantic. This lighting, the temperature, the humidity …” a guest on a variety show once said. The point was that place, weather and even how you feel combine to create a mood. Movies work the same way: your day and your experiences can become the yardstick. “Choi’s Review” introduces films through the writer’s perspective, in a more relaxed, everyday tone. Mother, family and home-cooked food can be a sure-fire formula in South Korean cinema — and also a reason some viewers brace for another tear-jerker, especially around the Lunar New Year holiday. “Number One” seems to invite that assumption, but it largely avoids squeezing emotions for effect. Instead, it turns into a quiet mirror held up to everyday life. The premise is simple and cruel: Whenever Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik) eats his mother’s cooking, he starts seeing an unexplained number. As it drops, he learns, death is getting closer. The meals prepared by his mother, Eun-sil (Jang Hye Jin), become not comfort but a countdown. Ha-min pushes away the table with excuses to protect her time, while Eun-sil responds by cooking with even more care. The film focuses on the sad irony of two people who love each other but feel forced to create distance, capturing subtle shifts in the air between them. The movie is based on Uwano Sora’s Japanese novel, “You Have 328 Chances Left to Eat Your Mother’s Home-Cooked Meals,” reworked with a distinctly Korean sense of family conversation at the dinner table. Director Kim Tae Yong, known for probing characters’ inner lives in films such as “Giant” and “A Girl at My Door,” softens that sharp gaze here into something closer to understanding. One of the film’s key choices is how it sidesteps melodrama. At moments that could tip into heavy sadness, Kim often pulls back — slipping in humor or letting grief dissolve into the noise of ordinary life rather than putting it on display. The dialogue stays grounded in how people actually speak, and that plain tone carries much of the film’s sincerity. Locations also do narrative work. The contrast between Busan and Seoul reflects the story’s split emotions: Busan, where Ha-min spends time with Eun-sil, is portrayed as warm and familiar; Seoul, where he imagines a new start with Ryeo-eun (Gong Seung-yeon), is framed as a place of hard-edged working life. Kim, who is from Busan, uses local dishes such as beef radish soup and pickled bean leaves not as props but as emotional connectors, and fills scenes with eateries tied to memories shared by the director and cast. Performances are central. Jang and Choi, who played mother and son in “Parasite,” reunite with a deeper ensemble. Choi plays Ha-min with a restrained, matter-of-fact emotional register as he carries his secret through daily life. Jang gives Eun-sil a realistic face — hurt by her son’s distance but continuing on without spectacle. Gong’s Ryeo-eun, portrayed as someone capable of steady love, becomes a turning point that broadens the story. “Number One” aims less for a dramatic feast than for the feeling of a simple home meal: understated, but warming. It opens in theaters on Feb. 11. Running time is 104 minutes, and it is rated for ages 12 and older. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-11 00:03:00 -
South Korea’s Moguls Skiers Miss Direct Final Berths, Head to Second Qualifier South Korea’s freestyle ski moguls team failed to secure direct berths to the final and will try again in a second qualifying round. Jeong Dae Yun (Seoul Ski Association), Lee Yun Seung (Kyung Hee University) and Yoon Shin I (Bongpyeong High School) competed on Feb. 10 (Korea time) at Aerial Moguls Park in Livigno, Italy, but did not finish in the top 10, which earns an automatic spot in the final of the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. In the men’s qualifier, Jeong scored 65.51 points and placed 27th among 30 skiers. Lee did not finish after falling on the landing following a jump. In the women’s qualifier, Yoon scored 59.40 points and finished 21st. Moguls features a bumpy course raced at speed, with athletes judged on turns and aerial maneuvers. The top 10 from the first qualifier advance to the final on Feb. 12, while the remaining skiers must place in the top 10 in the second qualifier to reach the final. Jeong and Lee will compete in the second qualifier on Feb. 12, and Yoon will race on Feb. 11. In the men’s qualifier, 2022 Beijing bronze medalist Ikuma Horishima of Japan led with 85.42 points. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury scored 79.11 to place third and also advanced. In the women’s qualifier, Australia’s Jakara Anthony was first with 81.65 points.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 23:51:00 -
Short-track skater Choi Min-jung vows to rebound after South Korea crash exit in mixed relay South Korea were eliminated in the short-track 2,000-meter mixed relay semifinals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics after a midrace collision, and skater Choi Min-jung said she will focus on the remaining events. The South Korean team were knocked out Monday (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena when Kim Gil-li collided with a U.S. skater and fell, dropping the team to third. Only the top two advanced to the final. Choi, who skates for Seongnam City Hall, quickly tagged Kim and continued the race, but the gap was too large to close. Coach Kim Min-jung immediately appealed to officials for an advance, but it was denied. Officials ruled South Korea were running third at the time of the incident. After the race, Choi told reporters, “I’ll prepare for the next race.” Describing the crash, she said South Korea were in third when “the U.S. skater who was in first fell,” and Kim “couldn’t avoid it and got caught up and fell.” Choi added, “If we had been in second, we could have gotten an advance,” and said the team share responsibility: “If we do well, we all did well, and if we don’t, we all didn’t. Today, I think we didn’t do well.” She called it the kind of situation that can happen in short track, saying luck was not on their side, but “another day it can be good.” “Now that the first event is over, I’ll do better in the next events,” she said. Choi said the team wanted momentum from the opening event but fell short, adding they vowed to do better and that she will “do my best through the remaining events.” In the 500-meter preliminaries held earlier, Choi said she was nervous in her first event but advanced to the quarterfinals. “Now the competition really begins, so I’ll show a good performance going forward,” she said. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 23:09:33 -
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo wins 7th Olympic gold, moves within one of Winter Games record Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo became a two-time gold medalist at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, bringing his career Olympic gold total to seven. Klaebo won the men’s sprint classic final on Monday at the cross-country stadium in Tesero, Italy, finishing in 3 minutes, 39.74 seconds. It was his second gold of these Games after the 10-kilometer plus 10-kilometer skiathlon on Saturday, and his seventh Olympic gold overall. Klaebo won three gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. At the 2022 Beijing Games, he won two golds plus one silver and one bronze. Klaebo is the second athlete to win two golds at these Olympics, after Swiss men’s alpine skier Franjo von Allmen. With seven golds, Klaebo is one win away from the Winter Olympics record. The mark of eight is shared by Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in biathlon, and cross-country skiers Bjoern Daehlie and Marit Bjoergen. In the men’s sprint classic final, Ben Ogden of the United States took silver in 3:40.61, and Norway’s Oskar Opstad Vike won bronze in 3:46.55. Sweden swept the women’s medals, with Linn Svahn, Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist finishing first through third. 2026-02-10 22:36:00 -
South Korea’s Jung Dae Yoon places 27th in first men’s moguls qualifier at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korea’s Jung Dae Yoon (Seoul Ski Association) finished near the bottom of the standings in the first qualifying round of men’s moguls at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Jung scored 65.51 points on Monday (Korea time) at the Aerials and Moguls Park in Livigno, Italy, placing 27th out of 29 skiers. Jung drew attention last March when he placed third in the men’s moguls final at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) freestyle world championships, becoming the first South Korean to medal in the event. He also posted multiple top-10 finishes on the World Cup circuit this season, raising hopes of an Olympic medal, but struggled in his Olympic debut. The top 10 from Monday’s round advanced to the final. Ikuma Horishima of Japan led with 85.42 points, and Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury was third with 79.11 to reach the final. Jung must finish in the top 10 in the second qualifying round on Wednesday to advance to the final. South Korean teammate Lee Yoon Seung (Kyung Hee University) did not record a score after falling early in his run.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 21:42:00 -
South Korea finish sixth in Olympic short track mixed relay after semifinal crash; Italy win gold South Korea’s short track team finished sixth in the mixed relay at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Host Italy won gold in the Final A, which South Korea did not reach. South Korea placed second in Final B, the ranking race, on Monday at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, timing 2 minutes, 40.319 seconds. The Netherlands won the race in 2:35.537, leaving South Korea sixth overall. South Korea’s medal hopes were derailed in the semifinal. Midrace, a U.S. skater ahead fell, and Kim Gil-li, 22, of Seongnam City Hall, who was skating behind, was taken down in the collision. Kim got up and made the tag to the next skater, Choi Min-jeong, but the team could not close the gap and finished third in its heat, missing the medal final. Kim also took a heavy blow to her chest in the crash and did not skate in Final B. Noh Do-hee, 31, of Hwaseong City Hall, was inserted on short notice. Depending on the severity of Kim’s injury, her participation in upcoming individual events is uncertain. In Final A, Italy crossed first to take gold. Canada won silver and Belgium earned bronze. South Korea, still seeking its first medal of the Games, will look to rebound in the remaining men’s and women’s individual races and relays while monitoring Kim’s recovery.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 21:33:00 -
South Korea Fall Ends Mixed Relay Final Bid in Short Track at Milan 2026 * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 20:54:20