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Third time's also a charm as Choi Min-jeong nabs Harbin gold in women's 1,000m short track event

Published: 09 Feb. 2025, 13:10 Updated: 09 Feb. 2025, 13:11

Korean short track speed skatesr Choi Min-jeong, left, and Kim Gil-li react after finishing the women's 1000-meter final at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, on Feb. 9. [YONHAP]

Choi Min-jeong captured the gold medal in the women's 1,000-meter short track speed skating event at the Asian Winter Games in China on Sunday for her third gold of the competition.

Choi held off fellow Korean Kim Gil-li for the 1,000m title at the Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Multifunctional Hall in Harbin. A third Korean in the final, Shim Suk-hee, finished in fourth place, with Zhang Chutong of China taking the bronze.

This is the second and final day of short track races in Harbin. On Saturday, Korea captured four out of five gold medals at stake, with Choi helping the team to the mixed 2,000m relay gold and then bagging the 500m title.

Choi is the first Korean athlete with three gold medals in Harbin.

For her career, Choi has now won a gold in every short track race — the 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m relay and mixed 2,000m relay.

She grabbed the lead from the start of the nine-lap race, with Shim, Zhang and Kim jostling for position.

Kim moved out in front two laps later, while Zhang also tried to squeeze herself into the mix.

But with five laps remaining, Choi passed Kim for a lead that she never relinquished. Zhang was briefly in the silver medal position before Kim skated past her with three laps to go and stayed there for the silver.

Yonhap