Lee, Kim to Compete for More Golds
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Lee Sang-hwa, 20, earned a surprise gold medal in the women's 500-meter long track speed skating event at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Wednesday.
The Korean speed skater gained instant fame on the Internet, with some comparing her beauty to that of female pop idols. But few have yet dared to compare her with Kim Yu-na, Korea's favorite for the gold medal in the women's figure skating.
This may be attributable to Korea's collective wish to see Yu-na win and make the nation proud. But in Olympic-level figure skating where one small mistake can make the difference in the medal one wins, netizens must be hoping that Lee's upset victory will not somehow weigh on Yu-na as she attempts a triple. Chances are, however, that Lee's victory will help Yu-na, considering the two are not strangers to each other - they first met five years ago.
Lee's skating career started when began attending Eunseok Elementary School in Seoul, the same school as Mo Tae-bum, the gold medalist in the men's 500-meter speed skating event.
She first started as a short track skater but switched to long track in the fourth grade. After becoming a member of the national team at 15, Lee began competing in international games specializing in the 500-meter and 1,000-meter events and winning bronze at the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships (500 meters) in 2005.
Afterward, she kept up the good work, becoming one of the world's fastest skaters, picking up medals at competitions such as the 2007 Asian Winter Games and ISU championships, as well as entering the Korea National Sports University.
However, Lee was not always in good condition, and at times she has struggled with injury.
"Lee strained a ligament last year but she managed to win the gold medal," Lee's mother was quoted as saying. "I am so proud of my daughter. We will go on a trip to Jeju Island when she comes back, as we promised."
With one gold medal in hand, Lee is going to challenge for another Friday in the women's 1,000-meter race.
Meanwhile, a video clip of Lee and Yu-na five years ago is shedding new light.
While Kim has emerged as a top figure skating star, Lee's success in long track has been obscured by the popularity of short track skating here.
Lee said she is sometimes saddened by the low popularity of long-track speed skating.
"I won first place at the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in January, but the news was not widely covered. However, I am really glad that I took the gold medal at the Olympics," she said after the race.
Korea had won three gold medals as of Wednesday, beyond expectations, and anticipation for other medals is getting high, especially when it comes to Yu-na. Kim will compete in the figure skating short program on Feb. 24 and the freestyle on Feb. 26.