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Three-time short track champion Choi Min-jeong draws inspiration from younger teammates

Published: 03 Feb. 2026, 13:31 Updated: 04 Feb. 2026, 19:00

Korean short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong takes part in a training session at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 2. [YONHAP]

With five medals under her belt from the past two Winter Olympic Games, Korean short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong is no stranger to the quadrennial competition.

Still, Choi could always use fresh inspiration, and the 27-year-old doesn't have to look too far ahead of the Milan Cortina Games here in northern Italy. While helping younger teammates prepare for their first Olympics, Choi is also taking some lessons from them, especially up-and-comers like Rim Jong-un, 18, and Kim Gil-li, 21.

"They've been peppering me with questions, and I've been trying to answer them the best I can," Choi told Yonhap News Agency after a practice session at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Monday, eight days before the start of short track races. "I am sure they're dealing with some nerves, but they bring so much youthful energy to the ice. I am probably not helping them that much. I am actually learning a great deal from them."

Specifically, Choi recalled that she didn't enjoy her first taste of the Olympics, on home ice at PyeongChang 2018, as much as she should have.

"I was too wound up back then," Choi said. "Today, these young athletes take care of business and still find time to enjoy the whole experience. I feel like I should have done a better job of that when I was younger."

Although Choi may not have relished her Olympic experiences earlier in her career, those appearances afforded her some valuable perspective.

Korean short track speed skaters Choi Min-jeong, left, and Rim Jong-un take part in a training session at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 2. [YONHAP]

Being captain of the short track national team also helps in that area.

"In my new role as captain, I've been trying to take a step back and see the big picture," she said. "And because this is my third Olympics, I definitely feel more comfortable. I want to bank on that experience to do well here."

Choi's first two Olympic Games both took place in Asia, with Beijing following PyeongChang as the host in 2022. But she is already familiar with Milano Ice Skating Arena, which hosted an International Skating Union World Tour competition in February last year as an Olympic test event.

"Things are different over here in Europe, like food, culture and the time change," Choi said. "But they have great facilities at the athletes' village, and the venue here is really nice, too. So I haven't had problems so far."

Yonhap