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Teen short tracker claims 2nd title at ISU World Tour

Published: 13 Oct. 2025, 11:29

Rim Jong-un reacts after leading Korea to victory in the final of the men's 5000-meter relay race at the ISU Short Track World Tour speedskating event in Montreal, Canada on Oct. 12. [AP/YONHAP]

Teenager Rim Jong-un has finished his first International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Tour competition by anchoring Korea to the men's relay title in Canada.

Rim teamed up with Hwang Dae-heon, Lee June-seo and Shin Dong-min for the men's 5,000-meter relay gold medal at the season's first World Tour stop at Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal on Sunday. The quartet clocked 6:50.781, with China finishing in second place in 6:51.160.

This was the second gold medal of this event for Rim, who had earlier won the men's 1,500-meter title in his World Tour debut Saturday. The 17-year-old won the national team trials in April this year.

Also on Sunday, Rim won silver in the men's 1,000-meter behind Pietro Sighel of Italy.

Rim also competed in the mixed 2,000-meter relay, alongside Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li and Lee Jeong-min, but the Korean team was disqualified after crossing the line in second place in the final.

In other races of the day, Kim Gil-li finished second in the women's 1,500-meter for her second silver medal of the competition. She won silver in the 1,000-meter on Saturday.

This was the first of four ISU World Tour events scheduled for this fall. Results at these races will determine quota places for the following races at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics: the men's and women's 500-meter, 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter; the men's 5,000-meter relay; the women's 3,000-meter relay; and the mixed 2,000-meter relay.

There are 32 quota places up for grabs in the 500-meter and 1,000-meter, and 36 quota places for the 1,500-meter. The men's and women's relays will offer eight quota places, and the mixed relay event will have 12 quota places.

Each country can earn a maximum of three quota places per individual event and one quota place per relay event. Teams can each register three men and three women for individual races, and four men and four women for the relays.

For the mixed relay, countries that have at least two male and two female skaters who have already qualified in individual races will be given priority.

Korea failed to earn the maximum quota spots at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where it sent two skaters to the men's 500-meter and the men's 1,000-meter, and at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where Korea had two skaters each in the men's and the women's 500-meter.

Korea leads the all-time Olympic short track medal table with 26 gold medals and 53 medals overall.

Yonhap