Sports Brief

Viktor An ranks 2nd at ISU championship

Viktor An, a former short track speed skating gold medalist, finished in second place at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2015 in Dordrecht, Netherlands.

An, born An Hyun-soo in South Korea, was crowned champion at last year’s ISU European men’s competition, and clinched second place with 71 overall points on Sunday. Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands took the grand prize with 97 points to claim first place.

In Saturday’s men’s competition, Knegt extended his lead with a win in the 1,000-meter finals. He was followed closely behind by teammate Freek Van der Wart, while Semen Elistratov of Russia was third. An of Russia finished fourth in Saturday’s contest.

An, 30, made headlines in 2011 when he decided to become a Russian citizen and skate for its national team.

National team alternates start training

The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) announced Monday that 1,470 alternates for 29 Olympic events have began their winter training.

Athletes in 27 events ― both in the Winter and Summer Olympic Games ― are practicing at the Jincheon National Training Center and other venues across the country until March.

Athletes in alpine skiing, cross country and the biathlon have scheduled their training to run from December of this year to January 2016.

Meanwhile, the KOC has included curling in the camp training to prepare for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The organization plans on daily payment of 20,000 won ($18.53) to each athlete.

NZ football sets sights on Korea

The New Zealand Herald reported Sunday that its national football team, nicknamed the All Whites, may play a friendly against the South Korean team.

If final details are confirmed, the match between New Zealand and South Korea will take place in March, the paper reported. It is likely to be held in Korea as the All Whites have been holding a series of matches against Japan, Uzbekistan, China and Thailand over the last 12 months.

This is seen as a strategic move by New Zealand, which has been keeping a close eye on the Asian teams. New Zealand is likely to face an Asian team in the final playoff match for the 2018 Russian World Cup and has identified Korea as a strong contender.

The New Zealand Herald reported that if the Korea match is confirmed, it will a “coup” for the New Zealand football team and a “big test” for manager Anthony Hudson. It also said that South Korea has been a “dominant force” in Asian football over the past two decades.