Choi Min-jeong skates with the South Korean flag after winning silver in the women’s 1,500 meters short track final on Feb. 20 (local time) at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. [Photo=Yonhap]
Short track skaters Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) and Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office) will carry South Korea’s flag at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee said the Games will end with the closing ceremony at 4 a.m. on the 23rd (Korea time) at the Verona Arena in Italy. The Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics featured competition for 116 gold medals across 16 events in eight sports.
Choi was selected after a standout Olympics in which she won gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay and added silver in the 1,500 meters. Those results gave her seven career Olympic medals, the most by any South Korean athlete across the Summer and Winter Games, surpassing Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speed skating), who each won six.
Choi also moved into a tie with Jeon I-kyeong (four golds) for the most Winter Olympic gold medals by a South Korean athlete.
Hwang also left his mark, winning silver in the men’s 1,500 meters after a persistent chase and helping South Korea reach the podium in the 5,000-meter relay as the anchor leg. He won medals in both individual and team events.
At the opening ceremony, figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) and speed skater Park Ji-woo (Gangwon Provincial Office) served as co-flag bearers.
The International Olympic Committee said the Games will end with the closing ceremony at 4 a.m. on the 23rd (Korea time) at the Verona Arena in Italy. The Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics featured competition for 116 gold medals across 16 events in eight sports.
Choi was selected after a standout Olympics in which she won gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay and added silver in the 1,500 meters. Those results gave her seven career Olympic medals, the most by any South Korean athlete across the Summer and Winter Games, surpassing Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speed skating), who each won six.
Choi also moved into a tie with Jeon I-kyeong (four golds) for the most Winter Olympic gold medals by a South Korean athlete.
Hwang also left his mark, winning silver in the men’s 1,500 meters after a persistent chase and helping South Korea reach the podium in the 5,000-meter relay as the anchor leg. He won medals in both individual and team events.
At the opening ceremony, figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) and speed skater Park Ji-woo (Gangwon Provincial Office) served as co-flag bearers.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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