Journalist

Kang Sang-heon
  • Naturalized South Korean biathlete Abakumova finishes 58th in Olympic sprint
    Naturalized South Korean biathlete Abakumova finishes 58th in Olympic sprint Naturalized South Korean Yekaterina Abakumova placed 58th in the women’s 7.5-kilometer biathlon sprint at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Racing on Feb. 14 (Korea time) at the Antholz biathlon arena in Rasun-Antholz, Italy, Abakumova finished in 23 minutes, 18.3 seconds. She was 58th among 91 competitors. Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. It became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Albertville Games. Abakumova, a former Russian youth national team member, became a naturalized South Korean in 2016. At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, she finished 16th in the women’s 15km individual, the best Olympic result ever for South Korea in biathlon. At the 2022 Beijing Games, she placed 73rd in the 15km individual and 49th in the 7.5km sprint. At the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, Abakumova won gold in the women’s 7.5m sprint, becoming South Korea’s first biathlon gold medalist. In her third Olympics, Abakumova sought a stronger showing but again finished in the middle to lower ranks. She also placed 63rd in the 15km individual on Feb. 11. France’s Julia Simon won gold in 41:15.6. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot took silver in 42:08.7, and Bulgaria’s Laura Hristova won bronze in 42:20.1.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 01:54:00
  • Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins Giant Slalom Gold, South America’s First Winter Olympic Medal
    Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins Giant Slalom Gold, South America’s First Winter Olympic Medal Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen became South America’s first Winter Olympic medalist. Braathen won gold in the men’s giant slalom at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Feb. 14 (Korea time), posting a combined time of 2 minutes, 25.00 seconds over two runs at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy. It was the first Winter Olympic medal by an athlete from a South American nation since the Games began in 1924. Born to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father, Braathen competed for Norway at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He ended his career as a Norwegian national team skier ahead of the 2023 season and began representing Brazil in 2024. Last year, he became the first South American athlete to reach the podium in an International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Alpine Ski World Cup. He followed that with South America’s first Olympic medal in winter sports. South Korea’s Jeong Dong-hyeon (High1) finished 33rd with a combined time of 2:35.41. Jeong, the oldest member of South Korea’s team at these Games, has now competed in five straight Olympics, starting with the 2010 Vancouver Games.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 00:21:00
  • South Korea Women’s Curling Team Beats Britain 9-3 for Second Straight Win at Milan-Cortina
    South Korea Women’s Curling Team Beats Britain 9-3 for Second Straight Win at Milan-Cortina South Korea’s women’s curling team, Gyeonggi Provincial Government, ranked No. 3 in the world, continued its strong start at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with a second straight round-robin win. The team — skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — beat Britain 9-3 in the women’s curling round-robin third session on Feb. 13 (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. South Korea, which lost to the United States in its opener, rebounded by beating host Italy in the second session and then routed Britain, the 2022 Beijing Olympic champion. In women’s curling, 10 teams play nine round-robin games, with the top four advancing to the semifinals. The game turned in the sixth end with the score tied 3-3. South Korea capitalized on a British mistake to score three points and take a 6-3 lead. South Korea then stole points in the seventh and eighth ends despite having last-rock disadvantage, stretching the margin to 9-3. With a comeback unlikely, Britain conceded before the ninth and 10th ends, shaking hands with the South Korean players. South Korea will play Denmark in its fourth round-robin game on the morning of Feb. 15.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 00:45:00
  • South Korea’s First Olympic Snowboard Cross Racer Woo Subin Misses Round of 16
    South Korea’s First Olympic Snowboard Cross Racer Woo Subin Misses Round of 16 Woo Subin, the first South Korean athlete to compete in Olympic snowboard cross, failed to advance to the round of 16. Woo was disqualified after slipping midway through her heat in the women’s snowboard cross round-of-32 qualifying races at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 13 (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. She was listed as DNF (did not finish), ending her bid to move on, with the top two finishers in each heat advancing to the round of 16. Snowboard cross, added as an official Olympic event at the 2006 Turin Games, is raced on a course featuring jumps, moguls and banked turns. In seeding runs, Woo placed 29th out of 32 in the first run with 1 minute, 19.90 seconds, and ninth out of 12 in the second run with 1:17.82. She entered the round-of-32 races ranked 29th overall. In her heat, she fell to the back after the start. While trying to make up ground, she went down and was ruled DNF. Regardless of the result, she got back up and crossed the finish line, drawing applause from the crowd.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 23:48:00
  • Klaebo wins 10K freestyle for third gold at Milan-Cortina Olympics, ties Winter Games record
    Klaebo wins 10K freestyle for third gold at Milan-Cortina Olympics, ties Winter Games record Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway completed a cross-country skiing triple at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, earning his eighth career Olympic gold medal. Klaebo won the men’s 10-kilometer interval-start freestyle on Feb. 13 (Korean time) at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Italy, finishing in 20 minutes, 36.2 seconds. He added the title to golds in the men’s skiathlon (10km+10km) and the men’s sprint classic at these Games. The victory gave Klaebo eight Olympic gold medals in total. He won three at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games (men’s sprint classic, men’s 4x10km relay and men’s sprint freestyle) and two at the 2022 Beijing Games (men’s sprint freestyle and men’s team sprint classic). Klaebo’s eight golds tie the all-time Winter Olympics record, matching biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and cross-country skiers Bjoern Daehlie and Marit Bjoergen, all of Norway. If Klaebo can also win long-distance events, he could set a new record for most Winter Olympic gold medals. At last year’s world championships, he won six golds, including the 10km classic, 20km skiathlon and 50km freestyle. The 10km freestyle was held in an interval-start format, with skiers starting at set time gaps and the fastest overall time determining the winner. Klaebo was 12th through the opening 1.8 kilometers, then surged over the final 1 kilometer to take gold. South Korea’s Lee Jun-seo of Gyeonggi Provincial Government finished in 24:25.4, placing 73rd among 113 competitors.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 23:03:00
  • Milan-Cortina 2026: South Korea’s Choi Ga-on to Receive 300 Million Won Bonus for Gold
    Milan-Cortina 2026: South Korea’s Choi Ga-on to Receive 300 Million Won Bonus for Gold Choi Ga-on (Sehwa High School), South Korea’s first gold medalist of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, will receive a 300 million won ($) bonus from the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association. Competing Feb. 13 (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Choi scored 90.25 points to win the women’s snowboard halfpipe final, beating American Chloe Kim, who scored 88.00. The victory gave Choi South Korea’s first gold of the Milan-Cortina Games and the first Winter Olympic gold medal in Korean skiing. The association has set medal bonuses of 300 million won for gold, 200 million won for silver and 100 million won for bronze. As the gold medalist, Choi will receive 300 million won. Since 2014, with Lotte Group serving as the association’s lead sponsor, the bonus program has expanded. For the Olympics, world championships, World Cup events, the Youth Olympics and junior world championships, the association pays bonuses not only for medals but also for finishes up to sixth place. Olympic gold medalists also receive 63 million won in government prize money and a performance-based pension from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. Depending on evaluation points, an Olympic gold medalist can receive 1 million won per month or a lump sum of 67.2 million won.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 21:00:00
  • Olympic Gold Medalist Choi Ga-on to Receive Omega Watch Worth 9.5 Million Won
    Olympic Gold Medalist Choi Ga-on to Receive Omega Watch Worth 9.5 Million Won Choi Ga-on (Sehwa High School), the first gold medalist for South Korea at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, is set to receive an Omega watch valued at 9.5 million won. Competing Feb. 13 (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Choi scored 90.25 to win the women’s snowboard halfpipe final, beating Chloe Kim of the United States, who scored 88.00. The victory made Choi South Korea’s first gold medalist of these Games and delivered the first Winter Olympic gold medal in Korean skiing. Omega, the Olympics’ official timekeeper, said on Jan. 26 it would present an Olympic Edition watch to the first South Korean athlete to win an individual gold medal at Milan-Cortina. That recipient will be Choi. The gift is the “Speedmaster 38mm Olympic Edition” timepiece. It features a “finger trace” pattern inspired by the Milan-Cortina 2026 emblem, a sub-dial finish evoking ski slopes, and a caseback engraved with a Milan-Cortina 2026 medallion, Omega said. Omega said the award is meant to honor “the pinnacle of the Olympic spirit — excellence, precision and dedication to sport — and to celebrate the one athlete who reached the top first.” Omega began awarding Olympic Edition watches at the 2012 London Olympics. Jin Jong-oh received one after winning South Korea’s first gold medal there in the 10-meter air pistol, two days after the opening ceremony. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, short track speed skaters Hwang Dae-heon and Choi Min-jeong received the watches after winning the first men’s and women’s gold medals for South Korea, respectively.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 16:39:00
  • Lee Ui Jin, Han Da Som finish 73rd and 80th in women’s 10km freestyle at Milan 2026
    Lee Ui Jin, Han Da Som finish 73rd and 80th in women’s 10km freestyle at Milan 2026 South Korea’s Lee Ui Jin (Busan Sports Council) and Han Da Som (Gyeonggi Provincial Government) finished outside the top 70 in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle. Racing on Feb. 12 (Korea time) at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Italy, Lee placed 73rd and Han 80th in the women’s 10-kilometer interval-start freestyle. In the interval-start format, skiers start at set time gaps and are ranked by fastest time. Lee was 68th at the 1.8-kilometer mark but slipped back and finished in 27:35.9. Han, who also opened in the 70s, posted 28:15.8. Both athletes failed to finish the 10km+10km skiathlon on Feb. 7, their first race of the event. In the women’s sprint classic qualifying on Feb. 10, Lee was 70th (4:15.93) and Han 74th (4:17.62), and both were eliminated. They were later disqualified after a banned substance was detected. Reuters reported on Feb. 11 (local time) that the International Ski and Snowboard Federation said fluorinated wax was found on their skis from the sprint classic qualifying, resulting in disqualification. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson won gold in the 10-kilometer freestyle in 22:49.2. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson took silver in 23:35.8, and Jessica Diggins of the United States won bronze in 23:38.9.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 00:03:00
  • Finland Sends Ski Jumping Head Coach Home Over Drinking at Milan-Cortina Olympics
    Finland Sends Ski Jumping Head Coach Home Over Drinking at Milan-Cortina Olympics Finland’s head coach for ski jumping has been sent home from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics over an alcohol-related incident. The Finnish Olympic Committee said it had ordered Igor Medved, the national team’s ski jumping head coach, to return to Finland. According to Finnish outlet Helsinki Times, Medved violated team rules on drinking during the Games, and the Finnish Ski Association and the Finnish Olympic Committee decided to remove him under internal regulations. Medved, who is from Slovenia, told local media he had been invited to a celebration for Slovenia’s mixed team ski jumping gold medal but said alcohol "ruined things." He apologized to athletes, coaches and fans. The Finnish Ski Association said it will review the matter after the Olympics and take appropriate follow-up steps.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 22:03:00
  • South Korea women’s curling team falls to U.S. in Olympic round-robin opener
    South Korea women’s curling team falls to U.S. in Olympic round-robin opener South Korea’s women’s curling team, Gyeonggi Province, ranked No. 3 in the world, opened the 2026 Milan·Cortina Winter Olympics round-robin with a loss. Skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji fell 8-4 to the United States on Feb. 12 (Korean time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. In women’s curling, 10 teams play nine round-robin games, with the top four advancing to the semifinals. South Korea started well, scoring one point in each of the second and third ends to lead 2-0. The U.S. tied it in the fourth end with two points. Trailing 3-2, South Korea had the hammer in the seventh but gave up two when Kim Eun-ji’s final stone did not settle in the button, stretching the deficit to 5-2. South Korea answered with two in the eighth to close within 5-4, then limited the damage to one in the ninth. Down 6-4 in the 10th, it tried to rally, but Kim’s final double-takeout attempt missed, and South Korea surrendered two more to finish 8-4. South Korea plays host Italy in its second round-robin game on the morning of Feb. 13. 2026-02-12 20:15:00