[Olympics] 'The Second Speed Skating Queen' Kim Minseon: "Overcoming Pyeongchang Pain, Aiming for a Surprise Medal in Beijing"

Competed with painkillers due to back injury during 2018 Pyeongchang Games
On the 13th, women's 500m speed skating event participation

Kim Min-seon, a member of the South Korean national speed skating team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is participating in an official training session on the 6th at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, navigating a corner on the rink. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Kim Minseon (Korea University), who dreams of becoming the 'second queen of speed skating,' is participating in her second Olympics.

Kim Minseon will compete in the women's 500m speed skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, held on the 13th at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China.

The women's 500m speed skating event has been a stronghold for Korea, with medals won in three consecutive Olympics: gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. All these records were set by the queen of speed skating, Lee Sanghwa.

Lee Sanghwa, who announced her retirement after the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, designated Kim Minseon as her successor. This is Kim Minseon's second Olympic appearance.

Although she debuted at the Pyeongchang Olympics, she was unable to fully demonstrate her skills due to a back injury and finished tied for 16th place in the women's 500m.

Regarding the Pyeongchang Games, Kim Minseon said, "My physical condition was so bad that I had to take painkillers even on the day of the competition. Since it was an Olympics held in our country, I thought I would regret not participating, so I competed, but my condition was the worst." Therefore, her determination for this Beijing Games is special.

She stated, "I am focusing more on achieving good results in this competition. My goal is, of course, to win a surprise medal, so I want to avoid injuries as much as possible and finish perfectly to get one step closer to my goal."

At the Beijing Games, the Korean speed skating team has continued to perform unexpectedly well, winning one silver and one bronze medal. Kim Minseok won bronze in the men's 1500m, and Cha Mingyu won silver in the men's 500m. Following this momentum, Kim Minseon is also challenging for a medal.

The 500m race in which Kim Minseon competes will take place on the 13th at 22:56.

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