In the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, South Korean speed skating sprinters Kim Min-sun and Lee Na-hyun will make their debut in the women's 1,000 meters on Monday. While their main event is the 500m, this race will allow them to test themselves against key rivals. Other Korean athletes in figure skating ice dance and luge will also compete on the same day.
The women's 1,000 meters race at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in northern Italy begins at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Kim Min-sun and Lee Na-hyun finished the International Skating Union Speed Skating World Cup season in 18th place with 108 points and 12th with 132 points, respectively.
Lee Na-hyun set a personal best of 1:13.92 at the season's first World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November. She achieved her season-high fifth place with a time of 1:15.99 at the final stop in Hamar, Norway, in December. Kim Min-sun's season-best is 1:13.98 from Calgary, Canada, in November, though she had no top-10 finishes. Her overall personal best is 1:13.42 from January 2024.
Netherlands' Femke Kok leads the World Cup standings with 264 points, including her personal best of 1:12.36 in Calgary. Fellow Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam is second, with a season best of 1:12.74 after winning three of four 1,000m races.
On the same day, the ice dance pair Hannah Lim and Quan Ye will perform their rhythm dance at Milano Ice Skating Arena. They scored 70.55 points in the team event on Friday and aim to qualify for the free dance on Wednesday; the top 20 of 23 couples advance.
Meanwhile, South Korea's sole luger Jung Hye-sun will start the women's singles with the first two of four runs at Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo, about 400 kilometers northeast of Milan.
