He’s cute when he laughs, but he’s a fierce competitor when he runs

In the 2022-2023 season, she won the 1st to 5th ISU (International Skating Union) Speed Skating World Cup women’s 500m event and held the overall championship trophy, marking the birth of a “new skating queen” following Lee Sang-hwa (35) who won the Olympics for two consecutive years (連覇) legend. If Lee Sang-hwa won the world with her muscle strength and quickness that explosively boosted her strength in a short moment, Kim Min-sun rose to the strongest position by boasting her excellent cornering skills and endurance that maintains fast speed until the end of the race.

“Since I have been trained as a ‘second idealization’ since I was a child, I am not too burdened to say that I am the new queen,” said Kim Min-sun, who met at the Taeneung International Skating Center last month. “I am proud to be called as such after my idol, Sang-hwa.” Having dominated the ice last season, Kim is experiencing some ups and downs this season. She wore different skates for the 2023-2024 season, but she was sluggish in the first and second races of the women’s 500m.

After failing to reach the top with the first bronze medal and the second silver medal in the second World Cup, he wore his original skates again in the third tournament last month and took part in the top of the podium. In the fourth World Cup that followed, he will rank second in the World Cup rankings, following Erin Jackson (31, USA), who won gold and silver medals in the first and second races and has won three World Cups this season. 온라인카지노

“We had some disappointing results because we couldn’t adjust to our new boots (skating shoes) early in the season,” Kim said. “We returned to our old boots last season to regain our good taste, but we will work with them next season.” Carbon-based skates usually last five to six years. Kim’s skates carry a heavy risk to take him to the 2026 Milan-Cortina-Dampecho Winter Olympics, marking his fifth year this year.

“If I change my boots, I will test my new skates with the opening of next season because I have to go to the Olympics after a sufficient period of adjustment,” said Jegal Seong-ryeol (54), coach of Kim Min-sun’s Uijeongbu City Hall. Kim finished seventh in the women’s 500m at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and was named the World Cup champion just the following season.

“I regret what it would have been like if my skills had come up earlier in time for the big stage of the Olympics, but considering the days when I was stuck with back pain, I’m happy that I can enjoy the ice with a body that doesn’t hurt now,” he said.

Ten days before the opening of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he collapsed in back pain during training, and the next two years or so seemed like an endless tunnel. With no clear treatment in sight, he did not give up and silently hung on to strengthen his muscles, and eventually he was able to get out of the pain. Developing skating skills so that his back is less strain by efficiently allocating his strength has also been the driving force behind his bigger dreams.

“Min-sun resembles Sang-hwa and her heart,” coach Jegal Seong-ryul said. “Just like Sang-hwa, who kept the top of the world despite her injuries, Min-sun came this far by overcoming chronic back pain that threatened her career.” “Speed skating is good because I can prove the results of my hard work with only my own strength with the number of records,” Kim Min-sun said. “I still love the pleasure when I cut the ice, and I’m still excited on the ice because there are many goals that I haven’t achieved yet.”

In front of her is the World Championship in Canada in February. Last year, she won five consecutive World Cups, but finished fourth due to her lack of physical stamina at the end of the season. This year’s plan is to win her first World Championship, and then continue to advance to the 2026 Olympic gold medal. Having a cute look that makes her look like a half moon when she smiles, she has unexpected charm.

Short (166cm) for a speed skating sprinter, he said, “I hope those who think they look weak in any field will be stronger in the new year by seeing me compete proudly with Western athletes despite my small physique.”