Short tracker says she won't be intimidated in Olympic debut
South Korean short track speed skater Kim Gil-li trains for the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Wednesday. Yonhap
Most 21-year-old athletes about to make their Olympic debut could be forgiven for coming down with a case of nerves.
But South Korean short track speed skater Kim Gil-li isn't one of them.
Following a training session in Milan on Wednesday, six days before the start of short track races, Kim said she had not been fazed by the magnitude of the Olympic Games and probably never will be.
"Since this is my first time at the Olympics, my mindset is I will just keep forging ahead and not worry about anything," Kim told reporters at Milano Ice Skating Arena. "I won't be intimidated."
Kim is already a veteran of multiple International Skating Union Short Track World Tour seasons — she was the Crystal Globe winner as the overall champion for the 2023-24 season — and it helps that she is seeing mostly the same sets of skaters from other countries at the Olympics here in northern Italy.
South Korean short track speed skater Lee June-seo, right, takes a selfie as his teammates Kim Gil-li, center, and Shin Dong-min pose in the background after a training session for the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Wednesday. Yonhap
"I don't think there's any major difference," Kim said when asked to compare the World Tour and the Olympics. "I am seeing all the skaters that I've competed against at World Tour events. I think only the stage for our battles has changed."
Kim is considered a strong medal contender in the women's 1,500 meters and will also try to put South Korea on the podium in the women's 3,000m relay.
Kim said she has been leaning on team captain Choi Min-jeong, a three-time Olympic gold medalist competing in her third Winter Games, for moral support.
"I've been looking up to her my whole career," Kim said. "And whenever I train next to her, I seem to get an extra dose of energy."
And once the competition starts, Kim will have even more support from the stands.
"My parents sent me a long text message before I boarded my flight, congratulating me on my Olympic journey," Kim said. "They're going to be here in time for my first race. It's going to be awesome to have them."