Kim Min-sun topples two Lee Sang-hwa speed skating records

Kim Min-sun in action during a 500 meters game in the 104th national winter games at Taereung International Skating Rink in Nowon District, northern Seoul on Jan. 27. [YONHAP]

Kim Min-sun broke Korean speed skating legend Lee Sang-hwa’s record to win the women’s 1,000 meters in the 104th National Winter Games at Taereung International Skating Rink in northern Seoul on Saturday.

The twenty-three-year-old finished the 1,000 meters in just 76.35 seconds, 2.8 seconds faster than the record set by Lee in 2013 at the same tournament.

Kim also broke Lee's record a day earlier when she finished the 500 meters in 37.9 seconds, surpassing Lee by 0.2 seconds.

That record by Kim Min-sun was especially impressive as it was over one second faster than runner-up Kim Hyun-yung, who finished in 38.97.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lee is Korean speed skating royalty, having dominated the ice for over a decade after breaking onto the senior circuit at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She was the world champion on three occasions and world spring champion on two occasions, finally bowing out of the sport in 2019.

As well as her well-stocked medal cabinet, Lee also became a well-known figure in the winter sports world for her amicable rivalry with Japanese skater Nao Kodaira, with whom she alternated No. 1 spots for years. The pair were fierce rivals on the ice but maintained a close friendship off it, regularly making headlines as they poster athletes for good sportsmanship as they were regularly seen comforting each other after what was often a defeat at the other one's hands.

Kim has established herself as Lee's successor, taking gold at the 2020 Four Continents and again at the 2023 Winter Universiade in Januray.

On the ISU World Cup circuit, Kim currently tops the 500-meter standing with 240 points and sits fifth in the 1,000-meter standing with 162 points.

The ISU World Cup schedule continues next month with the fifth and sixth tournament to be played in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]