Journalist

Park Jong-ho
  • Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo Wins Team Sprint Gold for Fifth Title at Milan-Cortina Olympics
    Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo Wins Team Sprint Gold for Fifth Title at Milan-Cortina Olympics Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo became the first five-time gold medalist in cross-country skiing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, bringing his career Olympic gold total to 10. Klaebo and Einar Hedegart won the men’s team sprint final on Feb. 18 (Korean time) at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Italy. Klaebo and Hedegart, who also teamed up in the men’s 4x7.5-kilometer relay on Feb. 15, finished in 18 minutes, 28.98 seconds. They beat the U.S. duo of Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher (18:30.35) by 1.27 seconds. Host Italy’s Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino took bronze in 18:32.29. In the team sprint, two skiers form a team and each races a roughly 1.5-kilometer course three times, with places decided by combined time. Klaebo swept five events at these Games: the 10km+10km skiathlon, sprint classic, 10km interval start free, the 4x7.5km relay and the team sprint. With the relay win, he moved into first place for the most Winter Olympic gold medals in history with nine, then extended the mark to 10 with Tuesday’s victory. Klaebo won three golds at Pyeongchang 2018 and two at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, and now has five at this Olympics for 10 total. Across the Summer and Winter Olympics, the all-time record for most gold medals is 23 by U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps. Klaebo also matched the record for most gold medals at a single Olympics, set by American speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Lake Placid Games with five (500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m). Klaebo is scheduled to race the 50km mass start on Feb. 21. A gold there would put him ahead of Heiden and set a new single-Games record for the first time in 46 years. 2026-02-18 22:33:00
  • Lee Eui-jin, Han Da-som Miss Final in Women’s Cross-Country Team Sprint at 2026 Milan Olympics
    Lee Eui-jin, Han Da-som Miss Final in Women’s Cross-Country Team Sprint at 2026 Milan Olympics Lee Eui-jin (Busan Metropolitan City Sports Council) and Han Da-som (Gyeonggi Provincial Government) were eliminated in qualifying for the women’s cross-country team sprint at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The pair placed 23rd out of 26 teams with a combined time of 7:50.72 on Feb. 18 at the cross-country stadium in Tesero, Italy, missing the top 15 that advanced to the final. In the team sprint qualifier, two skiers form a team and each races a course of about 1.5 kilometers once, with places decided by combined time. The top 15 teams move on, and the final is contested over three laps each, with results based on the combined time. Han skied first for South Korea and posted 3:55.12, 46th overall. Lee followed with 3:55.59, 47th overall, leaving them outside the top 15 on aggregate. In the final, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist won gold in 20:29.99. Switzerland’s Nadja Kaelin and Nadine Faehndrich took silver in 20:31.39, and Germany’s Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek won bronze in 20:35.86.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 20:36:00
  • South Korea Women’s Curling Beats Sweden 8-3 to Keep Semifinal Hopes Alive
    South Korea Women’s Curling Beats Sweden 8-3 to Keep Semifinal Hopes Alive South Korea’s women’s curling team known as “5G” kept its push for the semifinals alive by defeating Sweden in seven ends. World No. 3 South Korea — skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — beat Sweden 8-3 in its eighth round-robin game of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on the 18th (Korea time) at the Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Sweden, the most successful nation in Olympic women’s curling, opened these Games with six straight wins and had already clinched a semifinal berth. After securing that spot the previous day, Sweden made a series of mistakes against South Korea. With the hammer in the first end, South Korea loaded three stones into the house, then Kim Eun-ji used the final stone to knock out Sweden’s second shot stone for three points. South Korea added one more in the second end after Sweden skip Anna Hasselborg missed her final draw. Sweden faltered further as the deficit grew to 4-0. In the third end, Hasselborg tried a double takeout with her seventh stone to remove two South Korean stones near the button but missed, and South Korea scored two to make it 6-0. South Korea added two more in the fourth for an 8-0 lead, then allowed one point in the fifth end. In the sixth, South Korea had a chance to score but chose to give up one to keep last-stone advantage for the next end, making it 8-2. Sweden scored one more in the seventh as it used a center-guard setup, but South Korea managed the end calmly. Sweden then offered handshakes, judging a comeback unlikely. South Korea improved to 5-3 in group play and will face Canada on the 19th in its final round-robin game, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 19:27:00
  • Cha Jun-hwan finishes fourth in Olympic men’s figure skating, best-ever for South Korea
    Cha Jun-hwan finishes fourth in Olympic men’s figure skating, best-ever for South Korea South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) finished fourth in men’s singles figure skating, closing out his third Olympics with the best result ever by a Korean man. Cha scored 181.20 points in the free skate at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, earning 95.16 in technical elements and 87.04 in program components, with a one-point deduction. He had scored 92.72 in the short program on Feb. 12, finishing with a total of 273.92 points for fourth place. Cha placed 15th at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, then improved to fifth in 2022. He moved up another spot this time. Skating 19th among 24 competitors, Cha performed his free-skate program, “Ballade for a Madman.” He opened with a clean quadruple salchow, but fell hard on his next jump, a quadruple toe loop, drawing a deduction. He recovered to land a triple lutz-triple loop combination and a triple axel to complete his first four jumping passes. He continued with a level-four step sequence and stayed composed in the second half, where elements receive a 10% bonus. Cha landed a triple flip-single Euler-triple salchow combination and a triple axel-double axel sequence. His change-foot combination spin was graded level three, and he finished his final jump, a triple flip, cleanly. He then completed the choreographic sequence, a level-four flying camel spin and a level-four flying change-foot combination spin. Afterward, he sat on the ice, showing disappointment. Cha’s 273.92 total left him behind gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan (291.58), Yuma Kagiyama (280.06) and Shun Sato (274.90), both of Japan. Cha missed the bronze by 0.98 points. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 07:24:00
  • Skeleton racer Jeong Seung-gi finishes 10th again at Milan-Cortina Olympics; Kim Ji-su 16th
    Skeleton racer Jeong Seung-gi finishes 10th again at Milan-Cortina Olympics; Kim Ji-su 16th South Korea’s Jeong Seung-gi (Gangwon Provincial Office) placed 10th in men’s skeleton for the second straight Olympics.  Jeong finished 10th at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, posting a four-run total of 3 minutes, 45.90 seconds at the Cortina Sliding Center. He also finished 10th at the 2022 Beijing Games.  Jeong was tied for eighth after the first two runs on Feb. 12. He clocked 56.19 seconds in the third run Saturday but slipped to 56.49 in the fourth, leaving him unable to close the gap to the leaders.  The result was disappointing, but Jeong competed after overcoming a serious back injury. He badly hurt his back during weight training in October 2024 and said he even felt symptoms of paralysis in his lower body, putting his career in jeopardy.  After rehabilitation, he returned with a fifth-place finish at the first World Cup event of the 2025-2026 season on the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic track. His start slowed after the injury, but he made up time on the run and again finished in the top 10 at the Olympics. Kim Ji-su (Gangwon Provincial Office), competing at the Olympics for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, finished 16th in 3:48.11. He posted 57.03 in the third run and 56.93 in the fourth, his first time breaking into the 56-second range.  Britain’s Matt Weston won gold in his Olympic debut, setting a track record in each of the four runs. Axel Jungk, the 2022 Beijing silver medalist, took silver in 3:44.21, 0.88 seconds back. Christopher Grotheer, the 2022 Beijing champion, won bronze in 3:44.40.  * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:48:00
  • Snowboarder Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Halfpipe Final
    Snowboarder Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Halfpipe Final South Korea’s top men’s snowboard halfpipe rider, Lee Chae-woon of Kyung Hee University, finished sixth in the Olympic final and said he will work harder “to stand on the highest spot on the podium.” Lee scored 87.5 points in the men’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, held Saturday in Korea. The 2023 world champion was aiming for a medal in his second Olympics but came up short. He made consecutive mistakes in his first and second runs and could not complete his routines. In his third run, he landed the triple cork 1620 he had prepared for the Olympics and delivered a clean, high-quality performance. The triple cork 1620 — a four-and-a-half-rotation trick — was reported to be the first time Lee has landed it in competition. Lee said he expected a higher score. “I thought it would be around 92 or 92.5,” he told reporters. “I think I came up short.” He added, “I’m proud of myself just for landing the first triple cork 1620. It’s disappointing, but I feel relieved,” and said that after the landing, “I first thought I had overcome the pressure and done it.” Lee said he had felt pressure after reaching World Cup finals throughout the season but failing to land a full run. “Just overcoming it and doing everything I could (at these Olympics) makes me proud,” he said. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Lee placed 18th in qualifying and did not reach the final. This time, he became the first South Korean man to advance to an Olympic snowboard halfpipe final. Born in April 2006, Lee said he will prepare for the next Olympics with even more training. “I worked really hard for this Olympics, but maybe it was only enough for me,” he said. “If tears of blood aren’t enough, I’ll shed blood, sweat and tears. For the next Olympics, I need to train more, as if I’m ready to die. I’ll work harder so I can stand on the highest spot on the podium.” Yuto Totsuka of Japan won gold, Scotty James of Australia took silver, and Ryusei Yamada of Japan won bronze. All three scored above 90 points.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:33:00
  • Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Misses Medals
    Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Misses Medals Lee Chae-woon of Kyung Hee University finished sixth in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at the Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics. Competing at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Lee scored 87.50 in the final to place sixth. He reached the final two days earlier by scoring 82 points in qualifying, placing ninth. In the final, Lee did not complete his first two runs. On his first run, he fell on his third hit while attempting a frontside triple cork 1620. On his second run, he lowered the third hit to a double cork 1440 but could not carry the run through the next jump. On his third and final run, Lee landed his signature triple cork 1620 (4.5 rotations) and also hit two double cork 1440s (four rotations). The run earned 87.50, but four riders had already posted 90-plus scores through the first two rounds, leaving him out of medal contention. Lee, who placed 18th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and did not make the final, became the first South Korean man to reach an Olympic snowboard halfpipe final. Yuto Totsuka of Japan won gold with 95.00 points. Scotty James of Australia took silver with 93.50, and Japan’s Ryusei Yamada won bronze with 92.00. Japan has now won back-to-back gold medals in the event, following Ayumu Hirano in 2022.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 05:18:00
  • Lim Jong-eon, Shin Dong-min Draw Same Heat in Men’s 1,500 at Milan 2026
    Lim Jong-eon, Shin Dong-min Draw Same Heat in Men’s 1,500 at Milan 2026 South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) and Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) have been drawn into the same quarterfinal heat in the men’s 1,500 meters in short track speed skating. They will skate in Heat 5 on the morning of Feb. 15 at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, alongside Felix Roussel (Canada), Niall Treacy (Britain), Quentin Fercoq (France) and Nicholas Anderman (Austria). The top three finishers in each heat advance to the semifinals, along with the three fastest fourth-place finishers across the six heats. Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), the 2022 Beijing Olympic gold medalist, will compete in Heat 3 for a semifinal spot against Moon Won-jun (Hungary), a Korean-born naturalized skater, and Shaoang Liu (China), a Hungary-born naturalized skater, among others. Lin Xiaojun (Korean name Lim Hyo-jun), the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist, was placed in Heat 4 with Andrew He, Jens van ’t Wout (Netherlands) and Sun Long (China). The men’s 1,500 will be completed the same day, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final all scheduled. Draws were also released for the women’s 1,000-meter preliminaries, which will be held the same day. Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) will skate in Heat 5 against Kim Boutin (Canada), Chiara Betti (Italy) and Valentina Aschicic (Croatia). Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) will race in Heat 8. Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) will compete in Heat 2, including against Hanne Desmet (Belgium). A total of 32 skaters in eight heats will start the women’s 1,000. The top two in each heat advance to the quarterfinals, along with the four fastest third-place finishers across all heats. Only the preliminaries will be held that day. South Korea’s women will also skate in the women’s 3,000-meter relay semifinals that day, racing in Semifinal 2 against Canada, China and Japan. The top two teams advance to the final on Feb. 19.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 03:42:50
  • Skeleton Racer Hong Su-jeong Sits 22nd After Day 1 of Olympic Debut at Milan-Cortina
    Skeleton Racer Hong Su-jeong Sits 22nd After Day 1 of Olympic Debut at Milan-Cortina South Korea’s Hong Su-jeong (Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Council) finished in the lower half of the standings on the first day of her Olympic debut in women’s skeleton. Hong posted a combined time of 1 minute 57.33 seconds over two runs on Feb. 14 (Korea time) at the Cortina Sliding Center in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, placing 22nd overall. In her first run, Hong had a 4.97-second start and finished in 58.88 seconds. She matched that start time in the second run but improved her run by 0.43 seconds, finishing in 58.45 for the day. Hong ranked 22nd among 25 competitors, leaving her well off the medal pace. Austria’s Janine Flock led after two runs in 1:54.48, followed by Germany’s Susanne Kreher. Beijing 2022 gold medalist Hannah Neise was fourth in 1:54.85. Runs 3 and 4, which will determine the medals, are scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. on Feb. 15.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 03:33:00
  • Short-track bronze medalist Lim Jong-eon says he learned from snowboarder Choi Ga-on
    Short-track bronze medalist Lim Jong-eon says he learned from snowboarder Choi Ga-on South Korean short-track skater Lim Jong-eon, who won a bronze medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he learned a lot from watching snowboarder Choi Ga-on. Lim, who competes for Goyang City Hall, joined the national team’s official training session on Feb. 13 (Korean time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. After practice, he told reporters he returned to the athletes village after his race and watched Choi’s event. “Even though she faced a big setback during the competition, she fought through it to the end and won gold. I learned a lot from that,” Lim said. “Choi is younger than me, but she’s incredible,” he added. “I sincerely want to congratulate her and tell her she was amazing.” Choi and Lim both won medals on Feb. 13, with Choi taking gold and Lim earning bronze. Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park. She fell in her first and second runs and injured her knee, but delivered a clean third run to beat her “idol,” Chloe Kim of the United States, for the gold. At the same time, Lim captured bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters short track. He stayed near the back in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final before surging late to reach the podium. Lim now turns to the 1,500 meters. “Watching Choi made me think I need to do better,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure I can win gold in the 1,500 meters tomorrow.” He added that he had been “very tired and nervous” until two days earlier but now feels more relaxed. “With the confidence I’ve gained, I think I can get good results in the remaining races,” he said. The men’s 1,500 meters, Lim’s main event, will be held the morning of Feb. 15. He showed his potential by winning gold in the men’s 1,500 meters at the first International Skating Union World Cup of the 2025-2026 season, his senior debut. Asked about strategy, Lim said he made his move late and went to the outside lane in the 1,000 meters, and has another plan for the 1,500 that he cannot reveal. “I’ll challenge for gold with the strategy I’m most confident in,” he said. 2026-02-14 02:21:00