Short track star ready to polish up tactics ahead of Winter Olympics
Short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong speaks to the media upon arriving back in Korea through Incheon International Airport, Oct. 21. Yonhap
Three-time Olympic short track gold medalist Choi Min-jeong said Tuesday she will try to polish up her tactics head of her third Winter Games next year in Italy.
Choi and the rest of the national short track speed skating team returned home after completing their International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Tour season. The first two events were both held in Canada, before the athletes made stops in Poland and then the Netherlands.
Over those four competitions, Choi collected five individual medals -- one gold, two silver and two bronze medals, good for fourth in the women's overall standings with 650 points.
Courtney Sarault of Canada led the way with five gold medals and 980 points.
"Throughout the World Tour season, I felt the Canadian skaters had improved a great deal," Choi told reporters at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul. "Skaters from other countries have also made strides, but I also came away convinced I can still get good results (at the Olympics) with good preparation."
Choi then added, "I want to focus more on tactical elements than on physical aspects at the Olympics."
Having bagged five total medals over the past two Olympic Games, the 27-year-old Choi said, "I am more experienced than many other skaters. I learned a great deal from this World Tour season, and so I will try to polish up my tactics and become more competitive."
Choi has long excelled in the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters. However, Choi, like many other South Korean skaters that came before her, has struggled in the 500m. She did win a bronze medal in the shortest short track event at the final World Tour stop over the weekend.
"Before the last two World Tour events, I worked really hard on generating speed and accelerating early in the race," Choi said. "Getting solid results gave me some confidence."
Choi was the only South Korean skater, male or female, to win a 500m medal on the World Tour this year.
While Choi was the leading skater for the women's national team, the men's team saw the emergence of the 18-year-old Rim Jong-un.
The teenager first surprised the short track world by grabbing a national team spot out of the notoriously tough domestic trials, and proved he wasn't just a flash in the pan by picking up two gold medals and one silver medal in individual races on the World Tour.
He finished eighth in the men's overall standings with 363 points, tops among South Koreans.
William Dandjinou of Canada was the singular force all season and finished with 876 points by winning seven out of 12 individual gold medals at stake.
Rim admitted Dandjinou presented a tough challenge because of his strength but added, "I can hold my own against him when it comes to endurance."
"I've gained plenty of experience ahead of the Olympics," Rim said. "I will analyze Dandjinou's performances closely and try to figure out ways to beat him."
Rim opened the World Tour season with a bang by winning the 1,500m title and adding the 1,000m silver. But he was shut out of medals over the next two events, before bouncing back with the 1,000m gold medal at the final World Tour event.
"I didn't do a good job of managing my physical condition," he said. "Fortunately, I was able to skate well at the last event and regain some confidence."
Rim said lessons he has learned this year will set him up nicely for the Olympics in two months' time.
"I found out how fast races are at the senior level, and how skaters all have different styles and different strengths," he said. "I will try to apply those lessons from the World Tour at the Olympics." (Yonhap)