"Average Age 24.1" MZ Taegeuk Warriors Say, "See You Again in the Alps in Four Years"

24.1 years. This is the average age of South Korean athletes who won individual-event medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Three out of the seven were teenagers. Choi Minjeong, the "short track legend" who, through this Games, became the South Korean athlete with the most Olympic medals ever across both Summer and Winter Games, is also still in her twenties. Kim Gilli, who has established herself as the next-generation ace following in Choi's footsteps, is only 22 years old this year. Kim Gilli became the only double gold medalist on the South Korean team at this Games and was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which showcased the strength of Millennials & Gen Z, concluded 17 days of intense competition with the closing ceremony held on the 23rd (Korean time) at the Arena di Verona, an ancient Roman amphitheater. South Korea won 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals to finish 13th in the overall standings. The team achieved its goal of winning 3 gold medals but narrowly missed its other goal of finishing inside the top 10. However, it did move up one place from the Beijing Games, where it ranked 14th with 2 gold medals, 5 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals.

The Arena di Verona, where the closing ceremony was held, is one of the spaces that symbolize Italy, "the home of opera." It is the world's largest open-air opera venue, accommodating 30,000 people, and it also serves as the main stage for the Verona Opera Festival, which began in 1913 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of leading Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.

Winter Olympics conclude after 17 days of competition... South Korea finishes 13th overall with 3 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze

Kim Gilli, Shim Sukhee and other South Korean athletes are entering the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Verona Arena in Italy on the 23rd (Korea Standard Time), while dancing. [Yonhap News Agency]

The curtain rose on the closing ceremony as the most famous chorus piece from Verdi's masterpiece "La Traviata," the "Drinking Song," rang out. Characters from the opera appeared to liven up the atmosphere, and with staging led by "Rigoletto," athletes from 92 participating countries entered the arena one after another.

The Olympic flame that had lit up Milan and Cortina was carried to the Arena di Verona by former members of the Italian national team who together won gold in the men's cross-country skiing relay at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. After that, delegations from various countries, including South Korea, entered. For South Korea, Choi Minjeong, who announced her retirement from the Olympics at the end of these Games, and Hwang Daeheon, who won two silver medals, served as joint flag bearers.

Following a performance welcoming the athletes, the medal ceremony for the women's 50-kilometer cross-country mass start, held on the final day of the Games, took place. Next, two new members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission, elected during the Games, were introduced. Won Yunjong, who finished first in the athletes' vote among 11 candidates, went up on stage together with Estonian biathlete Johanna Taliharm and greeted the crowd.

The atmosphere then heightened as the theme song from the opera "Madama Butterfly" echoed through the venue. The Olympic flag was handed over to the next host region, the French Alps, and the French national flag was raised, looking ahead to four years from now. As the flame was extinguished and the lights of the chandelier that had illuminated the opening ceremony stage faded, the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics officially came to an end.

Choi Gaon, 17, and Kim Gilli, 22... Showing promise for the French Winter Olympics

A performance for the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics is being held at the Arena di Verona in Italy on the 23rd (Korea time). [Yonhap News]

Before the closing ceremony, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seungmin said, "There is some regret," at a wrap-up press conference held at the Korea House in Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan. He reflected, "We are always hungry for better results. We achieved our target of three gold medals, but there were also regrets in terms of content, as seen in the unexpected collision in the short track mixed relay." He continued, "There were some results in the events where we expected standout performances, but in time-based events like speed skating, I felt that a more meticulous support system is needed." In particular, he stressed the need to expand training infrastructure, saying, "Snowboarding won its first-ever gold medal, but that was the result of having to travel abroad for training in an environment where there is not even an airbag mat."

Snowboarding emerged as a new medal-rich event at this Games, with one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. Choi Gaon, the 17-year-old gold medalist, drew attention in an interview by saying, "Because there is no airbag mat, I always train in Japan," and, "I hope we can have an airbag mat in Korea so that we can train at home."

The Arena di Verona, where the closing ceremony was held on this day, will also be the venue for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics, which will open on March 6. The Games will run for ten days until March 15. South Korea will send a delegation of just over 50 people, including 16 athletes and around 30 officials, to compete in five events: alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and wheelchair curling.