Park Ji-won wins second gold medal at short track worlds

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Published: 13 Mar. 2023, 16:42 Updated: 03 Jan. 2024, 17:46

Park Ji-won wins second gold medal at short track worlds

Park Ji-won, right, celebrates after finishing the men's 1,000-meter final in first at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Yangcheon District, western Seoul on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Park Ji-won won another gold medal in the men’s 1,000 meters on Sunday at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, ending the competition with two golds.

The 26-year-old Korean skater, who had earned a gold in the 1,500 meters a day earlier, proved that he is the best Korean skater at the moment by finishing the 1,000-meter final first with a time of 87.741 seconds to earn the world champion title.

Park sprinted with three laps to go and outskated Stijn Desmet of Belgium, crossing the finish line 0.233 faster than the Belgian skater to take gold.

“I am in this honorable position, and I am happy that the country I am in is Korea,” Park said during an interview with SBS after the race.

Hong Kyung-hwan, who raced alongside Park, failed to medal as he finished fourth.

Lim Hyo-jun, who opted to compete for China in 2019 after being accused of sexual harassment in Korea, earned two medals for China — one silver from the mixed relay and one gold from the men’s relay.

Those two medals are meaningful for Lim because he failed to medal despite finishing first in the 500-meter final on Saturday after being disqualified for not wearing a transponder on his ankle — a required device that records a player’s speed and location.

The female Korean skaters, on the other hand, failed to earn a single gold medal.

Choi Min-jeong poses for a photo after winning a silver medal in the women's 1,000 meters at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Yangcheon District, western Seoul on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Choi Min-jeong, who earned a silver medal on Saturday, reached the 1,000-meter final on Sunday but could not top the podium as she came in second place again with a time of 89.679 seconds, ultimately ending the event with three silvers — the third coming from the women’s relay.

“It was tougher than I thought as I prepared for the Beijing Olympics, and there were some difficult factors this season. I personally think that I need to rest and reorganize myself. I will consider how I will do about the next season as I rest,” Choi was quoted as saying in a press conference held after the relay.

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