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Choi Min-jeong sets Asian Winter Games record in women's 500 meters

Published: 07 Feb. 2025, 14:24

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Korean short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong skates during the women's 500-meter race in Heat 3 during the Asian Winter Games Harbin at Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Centre Multifunctional Hall in Harbin, China, on Feb. 7. [YONHAP]

Korean short track speed skating star Choi Min-jeong set an Asian Winter Games record in the women's 500-meter heats on Friday with a time of 43.321 seconds, booking a ticket to the quarterfinals alongside countrywomen Lee So-yeon and Kim Gil-li.

Choi surpassed the previous best of 43.371, which Fan Kexin of China had held since 2017, placing first in Heat 3 during the 2025 Asiad at Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Centre Multifunctional Hall in Harbin, China. Lee finished second, with a time of 43.817, in Heat 2, while Kim finished first, with a time of 44.644, in Heat 4.

Choi has returned to this year’s Asian Games on the back four medals — two gold, one silver and one bronze — from the 2017 Asiad, along with five Olympic medals and a series of honors from the World Championships.

She is competing is the 500-meter, 1000-meter, 1500-meter and mixed relay races this year.

The rest of the 500-meter races and the mixed relay final, for which Team Korea qualified, will conclude on Saturday.

A total of 12 Korean short track speed skaters will pursue the country's historic 100th medal in their sport this year. Korea has won 96 Asian Games medals in short track, the most of any participating nation.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]