Journalist
Jang Suna and Kim Yeon-jae
sunrise@ajunews.com
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Laila Edwards, First Black Player on U.S. Women’s Hockey Team, Wins Olympic Gold Laila Edwards, the first Black player on the U.S. women’s national hockey team, won an Olympic gold medal with her family in the stands. The United States beat rival Canada 2-1 in the women’s ice hockey final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at Santa Giulia Arena in Milan on Feb. 20 (Korea time), returning to the top of the podium for the first time in eight years. Edwards played a key role throughout the tournament and helped drive the attack in the final. With the U.S. trailing 1-0 late in the third period, she assisted Hilary Knight’s tying goal. The Americans then scored the winner in overtime. After the game, Edwards raised her hand toward her family in the crowd. Her 91-year-old grandmother, Ernestine Gray, was among those watching in person. According to The Associated Press, cost initially made the trip difficult. Bringing 10 family members from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, required significant expenses, and the family could afford to send only some of them. Local residents and fans then organized fundraising, and a GoFundMe started by her father raised $61,000. NFL players Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, both from Cleveland, donated $10,000 and initially did so anonymously. In the end, 10 family members and four friends made it to the arena, and Edwards clinched the title with them watching. “Having my family here means everything to me,” Edwards said after the game. “It’s hard to put into words what it means to show the people who helped me get here my dream coming true.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-20 17:39:41 -
Nordic Combined Faces Possible Olympic Exit After 2026 Milan-Cortina Games Nordic combined, the only Olympic sport across both the Summer and Winter Games that still does not allow women to compete, is at risk of disappearing from the Olympics after this edition of the Games. On 20 (Korea time), the Nordic combined schedule at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics concluded, raising the possibility that this could be the sport’s last Olympic appearance. Nordic combined determines standings first through ski jumping, then decides the winners in a cross-country race. It is considered one of the most demanding winter sports, requiring speed, endurance, technique and strategy. The event has been part of the Olympics since the inaugural 1924 Games, but unlike the world championships or World Cup circuit, women are still not permitted to compete at the Olympics. According to The Associated Press, the International Olympic Committee is reviewing whether to drop Nordic combined, citing limited popularity and a medal distribution concentrated in a few countries. That imbalance was again evident at these Games, where Norway won all three gold medals. The result added momentum to calls for change. Athletes voiced concern as talk of removal grew. Jens Luraas Oftebro of Norway, who helped his country sweep the three golds, said, “I hope the competition at these Games brought enjoyment,” adding, “I hope the IOC will recognize the value of the sport.” Czech athlete Jan Vytrval said, “Nordic combined deserves far more popularity considering how entertaining it is to watch and the athletes’ incredible skills,” and called it “far too valuable to be deleted from the Olympics.” The IOC is also reported to be discussing whether to keep snowboard parallel giant slalom, the event in which Kim Sang-gyeom won South Korea’s first medal of these Games. If one of the two sports is removed, its slot could be filled by a new event such as polo or croquet.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-20 16:33:00 -
Shim Suk-hee Wins Third Olympic Relay Gold as South Korea Takes 3,000-Meter Title in Milan Shim Suk-hee of Seoul City Hall, back on the Olympic stage after eight years, helped South Korea win gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay for her third career Olympic gold medal in the event. On Feb. 19 (Korea time), Shim and South Korea won the short track women’s 3,000-meter relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. It was her third Olympic relay gold, after 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang. Shim missed the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics because of a suspension. Her role in Milan differed from earlier Games. After placing third at the national team trials last April, she joined the relay squad and focused on the team event rather than serving as the centerpiece. Her main job was using her 175-centimeter frame and powerful drive to push her younger teammates. In key late-race moments, she was tasked with giving a strong push to lead skater Choi Min-jeong of Seongnam City Hall to change the race’s momentum. That played out in the semifinals. With 10 laps left, Choi received Shim’s push, cut to the inside and passed Canada to take the lead. South Korea was later overtaken by China, but another push helped the team regain control and secure a spot in the final. The decisive moment in the final on Feb. 19 was similar. With four laps remaining, Shim pushed Choi at full effort, and Choi accelerated past Canada. Anchor Kim Gil-li then held off Italy’s Arianna Fontana to seal the gold. After the medal was secured, Shim covered her face with both hands and cried. In the mixed zone, she said, “There were many difficult moments, both during the Olympic preparation process and in today’s final,” adding, “It was overwhelming because I think all of us endured and overcame that tough process together.” Asked about winning her third relay gold, Shim said, “I was able to get good results thanks to meeting the right teammates each time,” and added, “I’ll live each day working hard.” 2026-02-19 07:45:00 -
China’s Lin Xiaojun Ends Milan-Cortina Olympic Short Track Events Without a Medal Lin Xiaojun of China finished the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics without a medal in the men’s individual short track events. Lin placed fourth in the third quarterfinal heat of the men’s 500 meters at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on Wednesday (Korea time), clocking 40.638 seconds. Canada’s William Dandjinou (40.330) and Italy’s Pietro Sighel (40.392) advanced in first and second. Canada’s Maxime Laoun (40.454) also moved on as the fastest third-place finisher across the heats. The result eliminated Lin from the 500, ending his individual schedule. He also failed to get past the quarterfinals in the 1,000 and 1,500. Lin won one gold and one bronze medal for South Korea at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. After an incident during national team training in June 2019, he was suspended by the Korea Skating Union and later became a naturalized Chinese citizen. He returned to the Olympics after eight years but did not reach the podium in individual events. He also came up short in team events. Lin skated only in the quarterfinals of the mixed relay, and China finished fourth in the final. In the men’s 5,000 relay, China reached the semifinals but did not advance to the final. In the men’s 500 final, Canada’s Steven Dubois won gold in 40.835. The Netherlands’ Meller Vant Wout took silver in 40.912, and Jens Vant Wout won bronze in 41.908. 2026-02-19 06:06:00 -
Snowboarder Yoo Seung-eun finishes 12th in Olympic women’s slopestyle Yoo Seung-eun of Seongbok High School fell short in her bid for another medal in the women’s snowboard slopestyle at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, saying she was disappointed with her performance. Competing Tuesday (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Yoo scored 34.18 points in the final and finished 12th among 12 athletes. After winning South Korea’s first Olympic medal in women’s snowboarding in big air, Yoo tried to add another podium finish in slopestyle. But mistakes in all three runs kept her from moving up the standings. “I feel like I rode really badly. It’s so frustrating,” Yoo said after the event. “I’m sorry I couldn’t show a good performance to everyone who supported me.” Looking back, she said, “Everything is disappointing. I tried to play it safe early on, but I made a mistake. After that, I kept making mistakes, and I felt I’m still lacking a lot in skill.” She pointed to the rail section as a weakness. “I think I was more nervous than in qualifying,” she said. “My condition was fine today. I felt my rail skills are very lacking.” Yoo also contrasted slopestyle with big air. “In big air, I could try a lot of new techniques, so it was a really good experience,” she said. “In slopestyle, I realized how much I’m lacking in the rail section.” After her first Olympics, Yoo said, “Overall, it was a really fun Olympics,” adding, “I’m set to return home tomorrow, but I’m a little disappointed because the final result wasn’t good.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-19 04:12:00 -
Dog Runs Onto Cross-Country Course at Milan-Cortina Olympics, Follows Skier to Finish A large dog ran onto the course during cross-country skiing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, briefly joining the race. In the women’s team sprint qualifying on Feb. 18 (Korea time) at the cross-country stadium in Tesero, Italy, a Czech wolfhound bounded onto the snow and ran behind the skiers. The dog sprinted just behind Croatia’s Tena Hadzic, who finished 19th, and followed her all the way across the finish line. Reuters reported that the dog started running after the athletes near the finish, paused briefly to sniff, then passed them and crossed the line. Spectators laughed and cheered at the unexpected sight, and some stood to applaud. The dog’s owner told NPR the pet is named “Nazgul,” after an evil spirit in “The Lord of the Rings.” He said the dog cried more than usual after watching them leave for the stadium, so he brought it along, adding that it likes people and follows them well. The incident also drew attention among athletes. Sweden’s Jonna Sundling, who won, said, “It was really fun,” adding that she laughed because the dog seemed to want to come into the mixed zone as well. Omega, the Olympics’ official timekeeper, added to the buzz by preserving the moment the dog crossed the finish line in a photo-finish image.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-19 02:15:00 -
Ukraine to Boycott Opening Ceremony, Other Events at Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics Ukraine will skip the opening ceremony and other official events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, which begin March 7 (Korea time), in protest of the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian teams to compete under their national flags. According to Reuters, Ukraine’s sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, said on Feb. 18, “Our team will not attend any events during the Games,” adding, “However, we will compete as normal.” Earlier that day, the International Paralympic Committee approved entries for six Russian athletes and four Belarusian athletes for the Winter Paralympics. It also decided to allow the use of the two countries’ flags and the playing of their national anthems. The IPC barred Russia and Belarus from hosting international events and suspended their eligibility after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. It restored their membership at its general assembly in Seoul in August last year. Russia’s participation as a national Paralympic team marks its first such appearance since the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics, 12 years ago.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-19 00:27:00 -
South Korea’s Lee Hae-in sets season best in Olympic short program debut South Korean figure skater Lee Hae-in (Korea University) set a season-best score in the short program at her first Winter Olympics, saying she handled the moment despite nerves. Competing at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 18 (Korea time), Lee scored 70.07 points in the women’s singles short program, with 37.61 in technical elements (TES) and 32.46 in program components (PCS). She improved her previous season best of 67.06 by 3.01 points and secured a spot in the free skate. “Up until yesterday, I thought I wouldn’t be nervous, but that wasn’t the case,” Lee said. “Even while nervous, I focused more on the feeling of my feet on the ice. I don’t think I made any big mistakes, so I think I did well.” She said she was disappointed she could not fully show a transition she had practiced after her first triple combination jump because her blade caught in the ice on the landing. Lee said she was pleased to see the season-best mark. “I want to praise myself for trying to earn points on every element,” she said. “I was happy when the score came up and it was a season best.” Looking ahead to the free skate, Lee said she needs to pay closer attention to every element. “Since there were parts that felt lacking today, I’ll show everything I prepared in the free skate without leaving anything out,” she said, adding that while there are more elements to focus on and she expects to be nervous, she hopes to enjoy it more.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 07:39:00 -
South Korea’s Kim Jin-su 13th, Seok Young-jin 19th in Olympic two-man bobsled South Korea’s men’s two-man bobsled teams led by Kim Jin-su and Seok Young-jin finished outside the top 10 at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Pilot Kim Jin-su and brakeman Kim Hyeong-geun, both of Gangwon Provincial Office, placed 13th with a four-run total of 3 minutes, 43.60 seconds at the Cortina Sliding Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Kim’s sled was 12th among 26 teams after the first two runs in 1:51.69, but slipped a spot after a 55.90 in Run 3. The team posted 56.01 in the final run to finish 13th. Kim had been fifth-fastest in Run 1 at 55.53. Seok Young-jin, also of Gangwon Provincial Office, and brakeman Chae Byeong-do of Catholic Kwandong University finished 19th in 3:44.61. Both teams will also compete in the men’s four-man event Feb. 21-22. Kim’s crew will add Lee Geon-woo and Kim Seon-uk of the Gangwon Federation, while Seok’s team will be joined by Lee Do-yoon of Korea National Sport University and Jeon Su-hyeon of the Gangwon Federation. Germany swept the men’s two-man medals again, as it did at the 2022 Beijing Games. Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer won gold in 3:39.70. Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schueller took silver in 3:41.04, and Adam Ammour and Alexander Schaller won bronze in 3:41.52. Friedrich, who won this event at Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022, fell short in his bid for a third straight two-man title and will try for gold again in the four-man race.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 07:18:00 -
Lee Hae-in, Shin Jia Advance to Women’s Free Skate at 2026 Milan Olympics Lee Hae-in of Korea University and Shin Jia of Sewha Girls’ High School both qualified for the free skate in the women’s singles at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Lee scored 70.07 points in the short program at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 18 Korean time, earning 37.61 in technical elements (TES) and 32.46 in program components (PCS). It was her season-best short-program score, and she stood second in the interim standings after 17 skaters across three groups had performed. Skating to Christopher Tin’s “Siren,” Lee opened with a clean triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, then landed a double Axel and a triple flip. She received level 4 on the flying camel spin, sit spin, change-foot combination spin and step sequence. Shin totaled 65.66 points (TES 35.79, PCS 30.87) to advance. Skating to Chopin’s “Nocturne,” she fell on her triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination. She later completed a double Axel and a triple flip, and earned level 4 on the flying camel spin, change-foot combination spin and step sequence. Her final layback spin was graded level 3. A total of 29 skaters competed in the women’s short program, with the top 24 advancing to the free skate, scheduled for Feb. 20.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 05:54:00