Hwang Daeheon Wins Silver in Men's 1500m Short Track, Shin Dongmin Finishes Fourth

Back-to-Back Olympic Medals After 2022 Beijing Gold
Netherlands' van't Wout Becomes Double Champion with 1000m and 1500m Titles

Hwang Daeheon has claimed the silver medal in the men's 1500m short track at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Following his gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Games, Hwang has now secured medals in this event at two consecutive Olympics. Shin Dongmin, who also advanced to the final, finished in fourth place.

Hwang won the silver medal with a time of 2 minutes 12.304 seconds in the men's 1500m short track final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, held on the 15th at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. He was 0.085 seconds behind the gold medalist, Jens Van't Wout of the Netherlands, who clocked 2 minutes 12.219 seconds. Shin Dongmin, who finished fourth, recorded 2 minutes 12.556 seconds, which was 0.180 seconds slower than bronze medalist Roberts Kruzbergs of Latvia.

Hwang Daeheon, after securing the silver medal with a time of 2 minutes 12.304 seconds in the men's short track 1500m final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics held on the 15th at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, is celebrating wrapped in the Taegeukgi. Photo by Yonhap News

Nine skaters competed in the final, including two each from Korea, Canada, and China.

At the start, William Dandjinou of Canada, who is ranked No. 1 in the International Skating Union (ISU) men's 1500m standings this season, took the lead, while Kruzbergs and Van't Wout battled among the front-runners. Hwang Daeheon and Shin Dongmin stayed around sixth and seventh place, waiting for their chance.

Midway through the race, Canada's Steven Dubois fell and was the first to drop out of medal contention. With five laps remaining, as the overall pace picked up, Niall Treacy of Britain and China's Sun Long and Liu Shaoang tangled and crashed together, leaving five skaters, including Hwang and Shin, to fight for the medals.

While Shin Dongmin and Dandjinou made contact and lost speed, Hwang surged up into second place. With two laps to go, he defended the inside line, blocking Dandjinou's overtaking attempts and holding on to second. On the final lap, he closely chased Van't Wout from behind looking for an opening, but could not find a way through and crossed the finish line in second place.

Van't Wout became a double champion at these Games, adding this title to his gold in the 1000m.

Im Jongen, who had won bronze in the men's 1000m, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 1500m earlier in the day. Im fell coming out of the final corner, bringing a disappointing end to his 1500m medal bid.

The women's 3000m relay semifinals and women's 1000m heats in short track were also held on the same day. In the women's 3000m relay semifinals, ace skater Choi Minjeong reclaimed the lead twice and controlled the race, securing a spot in the final. In the women's 1000m heats, Choi Minjeong, Kim Gilli, and Noh Dohee all advanced to the quarterfinals.

The women's 1000m short track final will be held on the 16th, and the 3000m relay final will take place on the 21st.