[Olympics] Choi Min-jeong Competes Against Zhang Yuting and Fontana in 500m Quarterfinals

Hwang Daeheon Meets Sinki Knecht and Saorin Sandor Ryu in the Round of 16

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Women's short track speed skating team leader Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) will face China's rising star Zhang Yuting in the 500m quarterfinals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Choi Min-jeong was placed in heat 3 of the women's 500m quarterfinals held on the 7th at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. She will compete against Zhang Yuting, Italy's veteran Arianna Fontana, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) athlete Sofia Prosvirnova, and Belgium's Hanne Desmet. The semifinal tickets will go to the top two athletes from each of the four heats and the two fastest third-place finishers.

Zhang Yuting is the athlete who won the gold medal in the 2000m mixed relay on the 5th. Choi Min-jeong participated in the preliminary round at that time, but Park Jang-hyuk (Sports Toto) fell, preventing them from advancing to the semifinals. Fontana has won one gold, two silver, and five bronze medals over her last four Olympic Games. She also earned a silver medal in the 2000m mixed relay, setting the record for the most medals won in Winter Olympic short track history. In the 2021-2022 ISU World Cup season, Fontana won one gold and three silver medals in the women's 500m across the first to fourth rounds, proving her prowess in short-distance events. Choi Min-jeong has not beaten Fontana even once in the women's 500m during this season's World Cup series.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Province Office), competing in the men's 1000m, was placed in heat 4 of the quarterfinals. He will compete against strong contenders such as the Netherlands' Sjinkie Knegt, Hungary's S?ndor Liu Shaolin, and China's Li Wenlong. All are athletes close to medal contention. Lee Jun-seo (Korea National Sport University) will race in heat 2, and Park Jang-hyuk in heat 1. Semifinal qualification will be granted to the top two athletes from each heat and the two fastest third-place finishers.

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