[Olympics] Taeguk Warriors, Defend the Medal Field

125 Korean Athletes Dispatched... Goal is One or Two Gold Medals
Must Overcome the Great Wall in Short Track... Mixed Relay Tomorrow
Snowboarder Lee Sang-ho and Others on the Rise... 'Kim Yuna Kids' Also Expected

[Image source=Yonhap News]

South Korea sent a delegation of 125 members to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. This included fifty-six officials, five members of the COVID-19 response team, and sixty-four athletes. The team participated in six of the seven sports at the Games, excluding ice hockey. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, South Korea won a total of seventeen medals: five gold, eight silver, and four bronze. The goal for this Games is only one or two gold medals, which is far from previous achievements. It is anticipated that the host country China may dominate in short track speed skating, traditionally a medal-rich event for South Korea.

China’s short track team recruited Kim Sun-tae, the former head coach of the South Korean team, and also brought in Ahn Hyun-soo (Viktor An) as a coach. They are expected to implement a focused containment strategy, leveraging home advantage. Veteran Kwak Yoon-gi (Brion Company) expressed concerns about judging, saying, "There are talks that even the slightest breeze could lead to disqualification." However, the Associated Press (AP) did not see this as a major obstacle. They predicted South Korea would win four gold and three silver medals, with three gold and three silver medals coming from short track.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The first medal could come from the newly introduced mixed relay event, where four athletes (two men and two women) race 2000 meters. This event is closer to a sprint, requiring instantaneous speed and tactical intelligence rather than endurance. The team failed to secure a gold medal in the four World Cup series events of the 2021-2022 International Skating Union (ISU) season. Their best result was a bronze medal at the first event. They never competed at full strength: at the first and second events, star female athlete Choi Min-jung (Seongnam City Hall) was sidelined due to injury, and at the third and fourth events, male ace Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Province Office) withdrew due to back pain. The undisclosed full strength could be an advantage in race strategy. The mixed relay involves constant athlete substitutions, making it a highly variable event.

The traditional medal-rich events, the women's 500m and men's 1000m finals, will be held on the 7th. On the 9th, the men's 1500m, and on the 11th, the women's 1000m are expected to bring medal news. On the 13th, the men's 500m and women's 3000m relay will take place, followed by the women's 1500m and men's 5000m relay on the 16th. The American data analytics company Gracenote identified Hwang Dae-heon and Choi Min-jung as strong medal contenders. The AP predicted a gold medal for Lee Yu-bin (Yonsei University) in the women's 1500m, citing her two golds and one silver in the World Cup series and her world number one ranking. Lee said, "It is a burden, but I will accept it positively."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Sang-ho (High1), who won a silver medal in the men's parallel giant slalom snowboarding event at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, will challenge for gold on the 8th. Parallel giant slalom is a snowboarding race down a steep slope similar to alpine skiing. Last year, Lee won one gold, two silver, and one bronze in seven International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup events. He leads the overall men's ranking combining results from parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom events. He stated, "My goal is gold," and added, "My determination has been proven by my results so far."

In speed skating, Kim Min-seok (Seongnam City Hall), competing in the men's 1500m on the 8th, and Kim Jun-ho (Gangwon Province Office) and Cha Min-kyu (Uijeongbu City Hall), competing in the men's 500m on the 12th, are expected to perform well. Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Korea University), competing on the 10th, and skeleton athletes Yoon Sung-bin (Gangwon Province Office) and Jeong Seung-gi (Catholic Kwandong University), competing on the 11th, are also considered medal prospects. Female figure skaters Yoo Young and Kim Ye-rim (both from Suri High School), who have been spotlighted as 'Kim Yuna Kids,' will showcase beautiful performances starting on the 17th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The challenges of the top stars in winter sports are also noteworthy. The most anticipated athlete is Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), who holds the record for the most World Cup wins in FIS alpine skiing with 73 victories. She won gold in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and in giant slalom at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Securing a third gold is uncertain. Her rival Petra Vlhov? (Slovakia) is on the rise, having won five of seven World Cup slalom events this season, while Shiffrin has won twice. The two will face off twice: in giant slalom on the 7th and slalom on the 9th.

The performances of 'snowboard halfpipe king' Shaun White (USA) and the youngest snowboard gold medalist Chloe Kim (USA) are also worth attention. White has already won three Olympic gold medals with tricks like the 'frontside double cork 1440' (four spins in the air) and the 'double McTwist 1260' (three and a half spins). The event on the 11th will be his last Olympic appearance. Known for his clutch performances, fans can expect a spectacular 'last dance.' Chloe Kim paused her career in 2019 to focus on studies but returned to the slopes last year. Her skills remain sharp. She won the FIS Snowboard World Cup women's halfpipe event on February 15, signaling a bid for Olympic back-to-back titles. The final will be held on the 10th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The men's figure skating showdown on the 10th between Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan), aiming for a third consecutive Olympic gold, and the 'jump prodigy' Nathan Chen (USA) is also a highlight. Hanyu, holder of the world record for the men's singles short program (111.82 points), will attempt the first-ever quadruple Axel with four and a half rotations. Chen, who set the free skate world record (224.92 points), will counter with stable quadruple jumps. At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Chen lost to Hanyu after multiple mistakes due to nerves, finishing fifth. Chen expressed confidence, saying, "I couldn't enjoy the preparation last time. I can show a different side in Beijing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.