[Olympics] Choi Min-jeong Cries Despite Winning Silver Medal "Why Are Tears Flowing Like This..."

Short Track 1000m: Shijanae Finishes 0.052 Seconds Behind Schulting for 2nd Place
Precious Silver Medal Earned Despite Poor Condition... Choi Min-jeong in Tears
"Today's Regret Will Become Nourishment for Greater Growth..."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), the star of the women's short track speed skating team, overcame poor condition to win a valuable silver medal.

On the 11th, Choi recorded a time of 1 minute 28.443 seconds in the women's 1000m short track final at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium during the Beijing Olympics. She finished second, just behind Suzanne Schulting (Netherlands, 1 minute 28.391 seconds). She attempted to overtake by pushing in front of the finish line but fell short by 0.052 seconds. With Choi Min-jeong's silver medal, the total number of medals won by the South Korean team increased to three. Earlier medalists included Kim Min-seok (Seongnam City Hall, bronze) in men's 1500m speed skating and Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office, gold) in men's 1500m short track.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi Min-jeong, who joined the final at the last moment, started from the outermost lane. Due to unfavorable conditions, she hovered around 4th to 5th place until the middle of the race. She began to increase her speed from the third lap. She sprinted hard on the outside course to overtake Hanne Desmet (Belgium, 1 minute 28.928 seconds), and at the first corner of the final lap, she consecutively passed Arianna Fontana (Italy, disqualified) and Kristen Santos (USA, 1 minute 42.745 seconds). Approaching the finish line, she targeted the lead by attacking the inside lane but could not catch Schulting's speed.

Schulting was in excellent condition, having set a world record (1 minute 26.514 seconds) in the quarterfinals that day. On the other hand, Choi Min-jeong struggled as her planned strategy in the second semifinal heat did not work. She moved to the outside lane with seven laps remaining but only managed to overtake after two laps. Her stamina dropped sharply, making the final sprint difficult. She ultimately finished third, but her time was better than Lee Yu-bin (Yonsei University, 1 minute 28.170 seconds), who placed third in the first semifinal heat, securing her spot in the final at the last moment.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

There were ups and downs in other events as well. In the 2000m mixed relay, teammate Park Jang-hyuk (Sports Toto) fell, causing the team to be eliminated in the preliminaries, and in the women's 500m quarterfinals, she tripped on the ice and fell. Overall, the disappointment was significant, and despite winning the silver medal, Choi could not hide her tears. She tearfully said, "I don't know why I am crying so much. The preparation process was very tough, and I think those hard times came out as this silver medal, which overwhelmed me."

She added, "It would be a lie to say there are no regrets. I was just happy during Pyeongchang, but this time I have many emotions," but also said, "Today, the men's team advanced to the 5,000m relay final, and the women's relay final is coming up, so we will prepare well." She continued, "I believe today's regrets will be a greater source of growth," and "Starting tomorrow, I will work hard to prepare for the remaining events. Please continue to support and show interest." Choi Min-jeong is scheduled to compete in the women's 3000m relay final on the 13th and the women's 1500m quarterfinals on the 16th.