At the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, South Korean speed skater Lee Na-hyun, 20, finished 10th in the women's 500m speed skating event, wrapping up her debut Games. She clocked 37.86 seconds, 0.59 seconds behind Japan's bronze medalist Miho Takagi. Following her ninth place in the 1,000m, Lee expressed optimism about her future prospects.
At the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, South Korea's Lee Na-hyun placed 10th in the women's 500m speed skating final held on Sunday, February 16, at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium. The 20-year-old clocked a total of 37.86 seconds, trailing the Olympic record of 36.49 seconds set by gold medalist Femke Kok of the Netherlands. Kok's compatriot Jutta Leerdam took silver, while Japan's Miho Takagi earned bronze.
Lee had the eighth-fastest start with 10.47 seconds over the first 100m, but her final 400m of 27.39 seconds was the slowest among the top 10 finishers. She had previously finished ninth in the 1,000m, the best result for a South Korean in that event. Fellow Korean Kim Min-sun came in 14th with 38.01 seconds, hindered by a slow opening 100m of 10.61 seconds. The three-time Olympian struggled to recover.
After the race, Lee said, "I am just relieved it is all finished. I did the best I could. I tried to manage the race the way I'd prepared, but I wasn't entirely happy with the time. I just have to get better and make sure I can stay strong over the late stretch." She added, "I saw plenty of hope after having these two top-10 finishes. I know I still have so much room for improvement. But if I take it one step at a time, I think I can really reach the podium."
Lee noted that she set a personal best of 37.03 seconds in her second World Cup race of the 2025-26 season but saw her times gradually worsen leading up to the Olympics, as she pushed hard early to qualify. "Now that I've gained some valuable experience here, it will help me prepare for the next Olympics," she said, already thinking about the 2030 Games in the French Alps.
