Kim Gilli Becomes Double Olympic Champion, Choi Minjeong Becomes South Korea's Most Decorated Olympian

by Park Pyunghee

Published 21 Feb.2026 06:54(KST)

Updated 21 Feb.2026 08:03(KST)

Sweeping Gold and Silver in the Women's 1500m Short Track

The women's short track national team duo, Kim Gilli and Choi Minjeong, swept the gold and silver medals in their main event, the 1500m, while also setting a meaningful record.

By winning two gold medals, Kim Gilli cemented her status as the next-generation empress of long-distance short track. Although Choi Minjeong fell short of becoming the first athlete in short track history to win three consecutive Olympic titles in an individual event, she claimed her seventh Olympic medal and became South Korea's all-time leading Olympic medalist across both the Summer and Winter Games.

On the 21st (Korea time), at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Kim Gilli and Choi Minjeong crossed the finish line together in first and second place in the women’s 1500m short track final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Kim Gilli clocked 2 minutes 32.076 seconds. Choi Minjeong finished in 2 minutes 32.450 seconds, 0.374 seconds behind Kim Gilli.

Choi Minjeong (left) and Kim Gilli are celebrating together after winning the gold and silver medals in the women's 1500m short track at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on the 21st (Korea time). Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Gilli started from lane 4 and Choi Minjeong from lane 1. In the early stages of the race, the two skaters calmly waited for their chance while maintaining positions in the middle of the pack, between third and fifth place.

With seven laps to go, Choi Minjeong was the first to increase her speed, attacking from the outside to move up into second place. With five laps remaining, Kim Gilli cut inside to move into third. While holding second and third, Choi Minjeong and Kim Gilli simultaneously attacked American skater Corinne Stoddard with two and a half laps left, with Choi going inside and Kim outside, to take over first and second place. Kim Gilli then maintained her speed, overtook Choi Minjeong to move into the lead, and steadily widened the gap before comfortably breaking the finish-line tape. Having expended some energy by going wide when she moved up in the middle of the race, Choi Minjeong did not overexert herself, followed her younger teammate to the finish line, and Stoddard came in behind them.

Following her gold in the 3000m relay, Kim Gilli hung her second gold medal of this Games around her neck. Having also won bronze in the 1000m, she finished these Olympics with a total of three medals.

Choi Minjeong also collected her second medal of these Olympics, adding this silver to her relay gold. It was the seventh Olympic medal of her career. At the Pyeongchang 2018 Games, she became a double champion by winning gold in the 1500m and the 3000m relay. At the Beijing 2022 Games, she successfully defended her 1500m title and added silver medals in the 1000m and the 3000m relay. With a career total of four gold and three silver medals, seven in all, she surpassed Kim Soonyoung in archery (six Olympic medals: four gold, one silver, one bronze), Jin Jongoh in shooting (six Olympic medals: four gold, two silver), and Lee Seung-hoon in speed skating (six Olympic medals: two gold, three silver, one bronze) to become South Korea's all-time leading Olympic medalist across both the Summer and Winter Games.