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Olympic medalist speed skater Cha Min-kyu withdraws from 500m in Harbin due to skate issues

Published: 06 Feb. 2025, 14:45

Korean speed skating athlete Cha Min-kyu training at the Harbin Speed Skating Oval in Heilongjiang Province, China on Feb 5. [NEWS1]

Korean speed skater Cha Min-kyu will not compete in his main event at the Asian Winter Games in China due to issues with his skates.

Cha, two-time reigning Olympic silver medalist in the men's 500 meters, told reporters Wednesday in Harbin that he had decided not to race in the 500m race next week.

"I am experiencing problems with my skates," Cha said after a training session at Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Speed Skating Oval. "They have almost reached their end. If I put too much pressure on them, the boots get moved around. I didn't want to push the envelope too much I decided instead to skip the short race."

Cha will compete in the 1,000m and the team sprint event, and said he will try to win a medal in both races.

"After this competition, I will try on different pairs to find the right one," Cha added. "I see this as part of my preparation for the Olympics next year. I will try to stay patient in my training and races."

Cha, 31, is the only Korean man to have won consecutive Olympic medals in the 500m. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, Cha finished only 0.01 of a second behind the gold medalist, Haavard Holmefjord Lorentzen of Norway. Four years later in Beijing, Cha was the runner-up by 0.07 of a second behind Gao Tingyu of China.

Yonhap