Korean women's short track won a precious gold medal in the 3,000m relay final. Attention was drawn to the past conflict between Choi Min-jeong (28, Seongnam City Hall) and Shim Suk-hee (29, Seoul City Hall), who also teamed up to win in Japan.
Japan's Kyodo News reported on the 19th (Korea time), "Korean "람보르길리"'s comeback drama... in Korea's traditionally strong sport of short track, after overcoming controversy the long-awaited "gold medal" has arrived."
On the same day, the South Korean women's short track team—Choi Min-jeong–Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall)–Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall)–Shim Suk-hee—who worked in unison, crossed the finish line first in the 2026 Milano Cortina d'Ampezzo short track women's 3,000m relay final at the Milan Ice Skating Arena with a time of 4 minutes 4.014 seconds.
The team stood atop the podium ahead of Italy (4 minutes 4.107 seconds) and Canada (4 minutes 4.314 seconds). This was Korea's first short track gold medal at this tournament. With this, Korea has proven its dominance once again, winning seven golds and one silver in the women's 3,000m relay across the 10 Olympics held to date, including this tournament.
It was a nail-biting comeback race. Korea stayed behind the leading pack for most of the race, waiting for an opportunity. There was a crisis in the middle of the race. The Netherlands, which had been leading, stumbled and fell, nearly colliding with Choi Min-jeong. Fortunately, although Choi Min-jeong lost some speed, she regained her balance and did not fall.
The turning point came with four laps to go. Shim Suk-hee, who received the baton, powerfully pushed Choi Min-jeong, and a speeding Choi Min-jeong overtook Canada to move up in the standings.
And Kim Gil-li put the finishing touch. With two laps to go, she displayed explosive speed and passed Italy's Arianna Fontana. Her bold move to cut into the inside proved effective. Rising to first place, Kim Gil-li kept up the speed and crossed the finish line to complete the golden race.
The moment victory was confirmed, Kim Gil-li clenched her fist and let out a loud roar. Kyodo News said, "The 21-year-old Kim Gil-li, who overtook the host nation Italy that had been leading, did not miss a single moment of opportunity," adding, "A new ace nicknamed 'Lamborghili,' likened to Italy's sports car, became the central figure in the victory."
The fact that the gold medal was a joint effort by Choi Min-jeong and Shim Suk-hee was also highlighted. Choi Min-jeong had conflicts with senior national team member Shim Suk-hee, who had worn the national mark alongside her at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
At the time, controversy arose that Shim Suk-hee had deliberately collided and ruined Choi Min-jeong's race, and Shim Suk-hee even released messages of 'abusive and derogatory language' defaming her, causing a major scandal. As a result, Shim Suk-hee was suspended from the national team for two months.
Afterward, Choi Min-jeong and Shim Suk-hee kept their distance even while on the same national team. Even when they raced together in the relay, they avoided direct contact. There was no sight of Shim Suk-hee pushing Choi Min-jeong. Whether because of this or not, the national team lost the women's 3,000m relay gold to China at the 2022 Beijing Games, and they had no wins in the ISU World Tour rounds 1–6 last season.
As disappointing results continued, Choi Min-jeong, wearing the captain's armband, made a decision. From the first round of the 2025–2026 ISU Short Track World Tour held last October, Choi Min-jeong took the No. 1 position and Shim Suk-hee the No. 4 position, producing scenes in which Shim Suk-hee powerfully pushed Choi Min-jeong's hip. At the time, Choi Min-jeong said it was a "choice for the Olympics" and expressed her resolve.
And the race sequence of Choi Min-jeong–Kim Gil-li–Noh Do-hee–Shim Suk-hee was reproduced in Milan, bringing a gold medal to Korea. Immediately after Kim Gil-li crossed the finish line, Choi Min-jeong and Noh Do-hee joyfully waved the Taegeukgi. Shim Suk-hee, who returned to the Olympic stage after eight years, could not hold back her tears.
Japan also highlighted the rekindled relationship between Choi Min-jeong and Shim Suk-hee, who reunited for the gold. Kyodo News reported, "Short track, as a traditional strong sport that draws attention and pressure, has often been accompanied by controversy. There is a bitter history between the 29-year-old Shim Suk-hee and the 27-year-old Choi Min-jeong, who were once two flagship members of the national team."
The outlet went on to explain, "Eight years ago at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics race, allegations were raised after the event that Shim Suk-hee had deliberately knocked down Choi Min-jeong. Shim Suk-hee was also at times excluded from the national team after accusing a male coach of sexual assault."
However, Kyodo News noted, "Contrary to her words that she 'trusted her teammates,' Shim Suk-hee fell outside the circle of joy created by her teammates and cried. There were no scenes of her standing side by side with Choi Min-jeong at the medal ceremony and the press conference. Kim Gil-li, who showed a bright smile on the podium, praised her seniors, saying, 'Everyone played an excellent role,'" pointing out that Choi Min-jeong's wound has not yet been completely healed.
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