Speed skater Kim Min-sun wins fifth gold of season in 500 meters

Kim Min-sun of Korea in action during the women's 500 meters at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland on Feb.10 [EPA]

Kim Min-sun won her fifth gold medal of the 2022-23 season in the women’s 500 meters at the International Skating Union (ISU) Speed Skating World Cup in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland on Saturday.

Having won four gold medals at the previous four World Cup events this season, Kim retained the top spot for a fifth tournament with a time of 37.9 seconds.

The Korean gold medalist was the only skater to finish under 38 seconds, with runner-up Vanessa Herzog of Austria coming in 38.09 seconds and Kimi Goetz of the United States finishing in third with 38.11 seconds.

With a fifth gold medal in Kim’s trophy cabinet already this season, this is a chance that she may become the first Korean ever to top the podium at six straight events. Not even Korean skating legend Lee Sang-hwa, who won two Olympic gold medals, managed six World Cups in a row.

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

“To challenge something is exciting and nervous, and I’ll be really happy if I achieve that,” Kim said during an interview with SBS ahead of her fifth tournament on Feb. 10.

The last remaining ISU World Cup tournament starts on Feb. 17 in the same venue, also in Tomaszow Mazowiecki.

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