At the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the South Korean women's 3,000-meter short track relay team won gold, allowing Choi Min-jeong to tie South Korea's Olympic medal records. Choi overcame past tensions with Shim Suk-hee to contribute to the victory. This marks South Korea's second gold of the Games.
On February 18, 2026, at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the South Korean women's 3,000-meter short track relay team clinched gold at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, edging out Italy and Canada. The team consisted of Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Shim Suk-hee, and Noh Do-hee, with Lee So-yeon also receiving gold for her semifinal participation.
The victory marked Choi Min-jeong's sixth Olympic medal, tying her with archer Kim Soo-nyung, shooter Jin Jong-oh, and speed skater Lee Seung-hoon for the most by a South Korean athlete. It also equaled ex-short tracker Chun Lee-kyung's record of four Winter Games golds. "Before this Olympics, I was really grateful for the opportunity to chase the record," Choi said. "It feels like a dream to be able to achieve that record with this medal. I am really happy."
Choi and Shim had clashed at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Leaked messages from Shim to a coach during the Games denigrated teammates and suggested she might intentionally trip Choi. They tangled in the 1,000-meter final. Shim received a two-month suspension but was cleared of race-fixing. Choi refused Shim's attempts to apologize, though they later became teammates again. Initially, Choi declined Shim's pushes in relays, but ahead of the 2025-26 season, she relented for the team. "I am a member of the national team, and giving my best in my role is the right thing to do," Choi said.
The choice paid off immediately, with South Korea winning the 3,000-meter relay at the season's first ISU World Tour event in October. In the Olympic semifinal and final, Shim's pushes were pivotal: she propelled Choi to the lead with 10 laps left in the semi and to second with four laps remaining in the final, setting up Kim Gil-li's decisive pass on Italy's Arianna Fontana.
Their relationship remains professional; they stood apart during introductions and the podium ceremony. Choi's Olympic resume includes golds in the 1,500 meters and relay at PyeongChang 2018, plus 1,500m gold and silvers in 1,000m and relay at Beijing 2022. After a 2023-2024 leave for recovery, she eyes a third straight 1,500m gold on Friday. South Korea leads all-time short track medals with 27 golds and 57 total; this was its second gold and seventh medal overall in Milan.
