Im Jong-eon (17, Nowon High School) surprised everyone by winning the men's 1,500 meters on the first day of the short track national team selection trials. He is gaining competitiveness for a spot at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
On the 7th, Im Jong-eon crossed the finish line first in the men's 1,500 meters final of the 2025-2026 season short track national team first selection round, held at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, with a time of 2 minutes 25.599 seconds, surpassing prominent national team seniors like Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office) and Jang Sung-woo (Hwaseong City Hall).
Hwang Dae-heon finished second with a time of 2 minutes 26.141 seconds, while Jang Sung-woo placed third with 2 minutes 26.258 seconds.
Im Jong-eon fell back at the start, waiting for an opportunity before pushing forward on the outside line in the middle of the race. He finished the race while maintaining the lead with overwhelming speed.
Hwang Dae-heon and Jang Sung-woo, who quickly began to chase, were unable to close the gap. Im Jong-eon crossed the finish line without any major crises, raising both arms in victory.
He is a rising star who won gold in the men's 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters at the ISU Junior World Championships held in Calgary, Canada, last February. With this victory, he secured 34 ranking points and took his first step toward Olympic qualification.
In the women's 1,500 meters final, an upset occurred as No Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) recorded a time of 2 minutes 34.486 seconds to overtake Kim Gil-ri (Seongnam City Hall) for first place.
Kim Gil-ri, the 2023-2024 season world championship champion, finished second with a time of 2 minutes 34.516 seconds. Kim Hye-bin (2 minutes 34.699 seconds, Hwaseong City Hall) placed third, while Shim Suk-hee (2 minutes 34.777 seconds, Seoul City Hall) took fourth.
No Do-hee conserved energy until the final moments of the race and surged ahead in the last lap by cutting into the inside lane to pass Kim Gil-ri. Just before the finish line, she pushed hard with her right foot to secure the win.
The national team selection trials will continue until the 9th. Rankings will be determined by accumulating times from the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, and 1,500 meters events. Only those who rank within the top 24 of the first competition can participate in the second selection round held on the 12th and 13th.
The top 8 men and 7 women will be selected for the national team for the next season. This adjustment is due to Choi Min-jung (Seongnam City Hall) automatically qualifying after winning the gold medal at the 2024 World Championships.
Spots for individual events at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics will be granted to the top 3 in the men's overall ranking and the top 2 in the women's.
On the 8th, the men's and women's 500 meters events will continue at the same venue.
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