Beijing: South Korean short track star Choi Min-jeong claimed gold in the women's 1,500 meters at the world championships in China on Sunday. Choi held off Courtney Sarault of Canada for South Korea's first gold medal at the International Skating Union World Short Track Championships at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. Another South Korean skater, Kim Gil-li, got the bronze medal.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this was Choi's 13th career world title. She has been the world overall champion four times, most recently in 2022. Choi had previously won the 2022 Olympic gold medal in the 1,500m at the same Beijing rink. South Korea experienced a medal drought on Saturday, with Choi placing fifth in the women's 1,000m and Park Ji-won finishing fourth in the men's 1,500m.
During the race, Choi and Kim stayed in the back of the seven-skater pack early in the 13.5-lap race. With seven laps remaining, Choi surged into the lead, while Kim remained in fifth place. Choi and Sarault were neck and neck for the top spot with three laps left. Kim narrowly avoided a collision as three skaters fell with two laps to go. Choi maintained her lead over Sarault at the finish line, while Kim secured the bronze by a comfortable margin.
Neither Choi nor Kim reached the final in the women's 500m later in the day. Additionally, no South Korean male skater qualified for the men's 1,000m final. In the semifinals, Park Ji-won and Jang Sung-woo received penalties for rule violations, while Kim Gun-woo finished third in his heat when only the top two advanced to the final.
In the men's 5,000m relay final, Park and Jang teamed up with Kim Gun-woo and Lee Jung-su to win the bronze medal behind Canada and China. South Korea did not qualify for the finals in the mixed 2,000m relay and the women's 3,000m relay.
As the only individual gold medalist on the women's team, the Korea Skating Union will grant Choi an automatic spot on the national team for the 2025-26 season. This ensures her participation in her third consecutive Olympic Games next February in Italy. Choi has previously collected three gold and two silver medals over the past two Winter Games.
No South Korean man won an individual title in Beijing.