Empty-Handed After 24 Years: The Generational Transition Wall Korean Speed Skating Faced in Milano

February 22, 2026, Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Jeong Jae-won and Park Ji-woo, Korea's last hopes in speed skating, crossed the mass start finish line, but the podium was too far away. The Korean speed skating national team is heading home without an Olympic medal for the first time in 24 years. This shocking result is not simply poor performance—it's the explosion of structural problems the Korean skating community has ignored.

TL;DR

• No Medals in 24 Years: Korean speed skating failed to win Olympic medals for the first time since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games
• Last Hope Dashed: Jeong Jae-won finished 5th in men's mass start (8:04.60), Park Ji-woo 14th in women's mass start, both missing the medal positions
• The Wall of Generational Transition: Failed to develop world-class athletes after the retirement of Lee Sang-hwa, Lee Seung-hoon, and Mo Tae-bum
• Historical Context: The streak of medals (5 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze) across 6 consecutive Games from 1992 to 2022 has ended
• Structural Problems: Lack of dedicated facilities, poor training environment, and decreased investment worked in combination

Facts: What Happened

Mass Start: Even the Last Hope Collapsed

On February 21, 2026 (local time) at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Italy, the men's and women's mass start finals—Korea's last medal opportunity in speed skating—took place.[1]

In the men's mass start, Jeong Jae-won (25, Gangwon Province) finished 5th with a time of 8:04.60. The gold medal went to Jorrit Bergsma (Netherlands, 7:55.50), silver to Viktor Hald Thorup (Denmark, 8:00.52), and bronze to Andrea Giovannini (Italy, 8:04.42). Jeong missed the podium by just 0.18 seconds behind the bronze medalist.[2]

In the women's mass start, Park Ji-woo (28, Gangwon Province) came in 7th in the final but dropped to 14th overall after falling behind in sprint points. Although she moved to the outer course with 2 laps remaining to increase speed, her time of 8:36.31 was far from medal contention (top 3).[3]

Disgrace After 24 Years: Historical Context

This is the first time Korean speed skating has failed to win an Olympic medal since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, 24 years ago. This goes beyond simple underperformance and will be recorded as a symbolic failure in Korean skating history.

Korean Speed Skating Olympic Medal History:

• 1992 Albertville: Kim Yoon-man silver (men's 500m) - Korea's first speed skating medal
• 2006 Turin: Lee Kang-seok bronze (men's 500m)
• 2010 Vancouver: Golden Generation Emerges - Lee Sang-hwa, Mo Tae-bum, Lee Seung-hoon with 3 gold medals
• 2014 Sochi: Lee Sang-hwa gold, Lee Seung-hoon silver
• 2018 PyeongChang: Lee Seung-hoon silver (team pursuit), Kim Bo-reum and Park Ji-woo silver (team pursuit)
• 2022 Beijing: Jeong Jae-won silver (mass start)
• 2026 Milano: No medals

The all-time Olympic record stands at 5 gold, 10 silver, and 5 bronze medals, making Korea a top-10 speed skating powerhouse.[4]

Factors: Why Did This Happen

Failed Generational Transition: The Void After the 'Speed Trio'

The skating community identifies failed generational transition as the core cause of this debacle.[5]

The Golden Generation's Legacy and Void:

• Lee Sang-hwa, Mo Tae-bum, Lee Seung-hoon: The 'Speed Trio' who brought Korean speed skating to the world's top at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. All three were 2007 classmates at Korea National Sport University and grew under the guidance of senior athlete Lee Gyu-hyeok.[6]
• Lee Sang-hwa's retirement (after 2018): Absence of world-class athletes in women's sprint
• Mo Tae-bum's retirement (after 2018): Uncertain successors in men's sprint
• Lee Seung-hoon's retirement (after 2022): The ace who carried men's middle and long distance for over 10 years, leaving an irreplaceable void

Limitations of Next-Generation Athletes:

• Jeong Jae-won: Won silver medals at 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing but failed in his third consecutive medal attempt. He also finished 14th in the earlier 1500m.
• Park Ji-woo: Competed in three consecutive Olympics starting from 2018 PyeongChang. Won medals in team pursuit but had a significant gap with the world's top in individual events.
• Lee Na-hyun and Kim Min-seon: Failed to place in women's 500m and 1000m

Structural Problems: Investment, Facilities, Systems

The failed generational transition is not simply an individual athlete problem. Korea's skating community's structural vulnerabilities worked in combination.

1. Lack of Dedicated Facilities

• In an interview, Jeong Jae-won lamented, "I hope Korea will have (speed skating-dedicated) training facilities."[7]
• Speed skating powerhouses like the Netherlands and Norway have national-level dedicated rinks and scientific training systems, but Korea still has poor conditions

2. Decreased Investment

• After the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, interest and investment in skating events sharply declined
• Speed skating is relatively undervalued compared to short track

3. Widening Gap with World Standards

• Netherlands: Won multiple gold medals in speed skating at the Milano Olympics, with overwhelming technological prowess
• Korea: The gap in records with the world's top in middle and long-distance events continues to widen

Context and Background: Korea's Historical Position in Skating

Short Track vs Speed Skating

At the Milano Olympics, Korean skating showed contrasting results.

Short Track: 2 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze = 7 total medals, surpassing Beijing (6 medals). Achieved results including Kim Gil-li's 1500m gold medal and Choi Min-jeong's all-time record (7 total medals).[8]

Speed Skating: No medals. While short track maintained world-class competitiveness, speed skating completely collapsed.

This difference stems from differences in investment, attention, and systems. Short track has been a traditional Korean powerhouse with continuous investment in infrastructure and athlete development, while speed skating failed to systematically develop successive generations after the 'Speed Trio.'

Lee Gyu-hyeok's Legacy

Behind the success of Lee Sang-hwa, Mo Tae-bum, and Lee Seung-hoon was senior athlete Lee Gyu-hyeok. Born in 1978, Lee Gyu-hyeok was active as a national team member for over 20 years (1993-2014) and was a symbol of Korean speed skating, setting a world record in the 1000m in 1997.[9]

Even after retirement, Lee Gyu-hyeok passed on his technique and mentality to his juniors, and Lee Sang-hwa, Mo Tae-bum, and Lee Seung-hoon, who were influenced by him, swept gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.[6]

However, as the lineage from the Lee Gyu-hyeok generation → Speed Trio → next generation was broken, Korean speed skating's system for passing on technique, experience, and mentality collapsed.

Outlook: Challenges for Four Years From Now

Short-term Challenges (~2030)

1. Expansion of Dedicated Training Facilities: Build international-standard rinks and scientific training systems
2. Rebuilding Middle and Long-distance Events: Discover next-generation aces to fill Lee Seung-hoon's void
3. Sprint Generational Transition: Develop sprinters to fill the void after Lee Sang-hwa and Mo Tae-bum
4. Investment Expansion: Strengthen budget, infrastructure, and coaching staff across skating events

Long-term Outlook (2030~)

The crisis in Korean speed skating is not temporary. While speed skating powerhouses like the Netherlands and Norway have national-level systems, Korea has relied on individual athlete talent.

Conditions for Revival:

• Complete review of national team selection and training systems
• Strengthen youth development programs
• Introduce science and data-based training
• Expand opportunities for overseas training camps and international competition

Four years until the 2030 Winter Olympics (estimated French Alps). The Korean skating community must accept this Milano debacle as a 'warning' and undertake fundamental structural reform.

Checklist: Key Points You Should Know

• Historical Significance: Korean speed skating's first Olympic no-medal in 24 years = collapse of the speed skating powerhouse image built since 1992
• Failed Generational Transition: Absence of world-class athletes after Lee Sang-hwa, Lee Seung-hoon, and Mo Tae-bum
• Structural Problems: Lack of dedicated facilities, decreased investment, poor training environment
• Gap with Short Track: Despite being the same skating events, stark contrast due to differences in investment, attention, and systems
• Challenges for 2030: Complete reconstruction of infrastructure, development, and systems needed over the next 4 years

Reference Links

1. Korean speed skating no medals in 24 years - The Hankyoreh
2. Korea shut out of speed skating medals for 1st time in 24 yrs - Korea JoongAng Daily
3. Korean speed skating 2026 Winter Olympics 'no medals' - Yonhap News
4. Failed generational transition in Korean speed skating - News1
5. South Korea Short Track Wins 7 Medals - The Chosun Ilbo
6. Korean Olympic Team/Speed Skating - Namuwiki
7. Lee Gyu-hyeok - Namuwiki
8. Mo Tae-bum and Lee Sang-hwa: Thank you, Lee Gyu-hyeok - Naver Blog

Image Source

• Featured image: Wikimedia Commons - Golden Gate Bridge (temporary substitute image - used for illustration due to inability to secure directly relevant speed skating image)