Choi Min-jeong wins 5 gold medals at ISU Four Continents

It was a return befitting the reputation of a queen. With three gold medals in her right hand, and two in her left, Choi Min-jeong, a 22-year-old Korean dubbed “the queen of Korean short track,” was wearing a bright smile across her face.

In the ISU Four Continents Short Track Championships, which ran from Saturday to Monday in Montreal, Choi achieved a grand slam with five gold medals. The Korean found herself on the top of the podium in women’s 500-meter, 1,000 meter, 1,500 meter, 3,000 meter super final, and 3,000 meter relay.

Hwang Dae-heon, the 21-year-old Korean male skater, won four gold medals. Hwang swept all three individual title and 5,000 meter relay, but was ranked seventh in men’s 3,000 meter super final. While some of the best players from Europe, China, and Canada, did not attend the contest, Choi and Hwang showed off the level of game that was simply untouchable.

Having ushered in the new year of 2020 with gold medals, Choi and Hwang will fly to Dresden, Germany to participate in the fifth Short Track World Cup on February 7.


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com