[Olympics] The One Who Laughs Last Laughs Longest

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), who won South Korea's second gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was not considered a definite favorite before the competition. This was because her situation was very different from when she achieved two gold medals (women's 1500m and women's 3000m relay) at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. There is no doubt about Choi Min-jeong's explosive power, quickness, and endurance. She even raised expectations in the 500m, which has been considered a weak point for Korean women's short track.

However, she went through a tougher time last year than anyone else. Her national team teammate Shim Suk-hee (Seoul City Hall) was suspended for two months after messages from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics were leaked, in which Shim badmouthed Choi Min-jeong and Kim A-lang (Goyang City Hall) to their coach. The messages also contained content that made people suspect Shim had deliberately collided with Choi. Upon hearing the news, Choi reportedly was so distressed that she could not train properly for a while.

To make matters worse, in October last year at the first ISU World Cup event, Choi collided twice with Kim Ji-yoo (Gyeonggi General) and Martina Valcepina (Italy), resulting in injuries. She was diagnosed with contusions in her right knee joint, and sprains in her patella, cruciate ligament, and ankle, forcing her to focus on recovery and rehabilitation for some time. Although she made a difficult comeback at the third and fourth World Cup events, her results were far from good, and her chances of winning medals at the Winter Olympics seemed to be fading.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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While Choi Min-jeong faltered, her rival Suzanne Schulting (Netherlands) rose to world No. 1 in women's short track, showcasing peak performance. She swept nine gold medals across the first to fourth World Cup events, including winning four titles at the third World Cup. Choi vowed, "I will make sure the phrase ‘Short track is Korea’ continues to be said," but misfortune kept holding her back. She was eliminated in the heats of the first event, the 2000m mixed relay. In her first individual event, the women's 500m, she fell due to ice conditions.

As expected, European athletes demonstrated significantly improved skills, with Schulting at the center. She set a new Olympic record in the 500m with a time of 42.379 seconds. Along with her teammates, she also set an Olympic record (4 minutes 3.409 seconds) in the 3000m relay. In the 1000m, she even broke the world record (1 minute 26.514 seconds).

Despite the unsettling atmosphere caused by biased judging from China, Choi Min-jeong tried hard to maintain her focus. Even on rest days, she trained alone with male athletes, aiming for a turnaround. Choi finished second in the 1000m, shedding tears as she received the silver medal. "It would be a lie to say I have no regrets. The preparation process was very tough, and I think those hard times resulted in this silver medal, which overwhelmed me emotionally."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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The regrets became nourishment for Choi Min-jeong’s greater growth. She even used Schulting’s progress as motivation to improve herself. Choi said, "It’s great to be able to compete with such an amazing athlete for four years," adding, "Competing in good faith and developing through competition is a very good thing for an athlete." With a challenger’s mindset, she played a key role in winning the silver medal in the women's 3000m relay.

In the last short track event of this competition, the 1500m on the 16th, she defeated Schulting, who was aiming for a triple crown, and took first place. Choi kept her promise. In the semifinals, she even set a new Olympic record (2 minutes 16.831 seconds), proving once again that "short track is Korea." Now, she smiled brightly, freed from the burden. "I prepared with the thought of constantly surpassing my past self, which helped me perform well until the end. Now I want to smile freely."

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