[Olympics] 'Female Sledding Pioneer' Kim Yuran Ranks 20th in Monobob First Run... Aiming for a Comeback

by Kim Heeyun

Published 13 Feb.2022 12:53(KST)

First Official Event Adopted in This Competition... 20th Place in the First Round

Kim Yuran is racing during the official training of the women's monobob bobsleigh at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 11th at the National Sliding Center in Yanqing, Beijing, China. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Korea's female sledding pioneer Kim Yuran (Gangwon Province Office) ranked 20th in the first run of the monobob event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Kim Yuran competed in the first run of the bobsleigh monobob event held on the 13th at the National Sliding Center in Yanqing, China. Starting first, Kim recorded a time of 1 minute 6.68 seconds and finished the race in 20th place.

Monobob is a new event introduced at the Beijing Olympics, where a single athlete pushes and rides the sled alone. Due to the rider's light weight, monobob is a discipline that can be greatly affected by external variables.

Previously, Kim Yuran became the first Korean female athlete to compete in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the Pyeongchang Games, finishing 14th.

A former track hurdler, Kim Yuran switched to bobsleigh in 2015 at the coach's recommendation and challenged the newly introduced monobob event in this competition. As the first Korean to attempt this event, any result will set a new record.

Kim Yuran said, "Since monobob is an individual event, the mental pressure is indeed significant. At first, I had difficulty adapting, but now that I have adjusted a lot, as long as I avoid mistakes in the initial start, I believe I can narrow the gap with the world."

Despite the late challenge, Kim Yuran has raised the possibility of winning a medal with good results. In December last year, Kim Yuran won the gold medal by finishing first at the 5th round of the Monobob European Cup. Following that, in the 2021-22 season International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup, she also won the 14th run, raising expectations for an Olympic medal.