"South Korea 15th, Japan 3rd?" U.S. outlet's 'shocking prediction' hits Taeguk Warriors' pride [2026 Milano]

[Financial News] "Three gold medals, 15th overall. And... Japan in 3rd place?"
As the flame of the 2026 Winter Olympics Milano Cortina is lit, a projected medal table for the South Korean delegation released by a major U.S. sports outlet is stirring anger among fans. It feels harsh even as a cold-eyed analysis, and the projected gap with rival Japan is enough to bruise national pride.
U.S. sports magazine Sports Illustrated (SI) on the 8th (Korea time) released its medal forecast for the Games, projecting that South Korea will win three gold, two silver and two bronze medals, finishing 15th in the overall standings.
The most shocking part is its assessment of "snowboard prodigy" Choi Ga-on of Sehwa Girls' High School. SI predicts that in the women's snowboard halfpipe, Shimizu Sara of Japan will take gold and Chloe Kim of the United States will claim silver, leaving Choi Ga-on completely off the podium.
Given that Choi Ga-on is widely regarded as a world-class talent and a leading favorite for Olympic gold, classifying her as a "no medal" athlete is hard to accept. By contrast, on the 4th, Canada's Shoreview Sports Analytics (SSA) named Choi as a clear gold-medal contender, highlighting the stark difference. It remains to be seen whether SI's outlook is grounded in data-driven analysis or more of a "wish list" influenced by the presence of home star Chloe Kim.

The gold-medal list picked by SI focuses almost exclusively on short track. It predicts that the new men's 1000m ace Lim Jong-eon of the Goyang City Hall team, women's 1500m "empress" Kim Gil-li of the Seongnam City Hall team, and the men's 5000m relay will all stand on the top step of the podium.
By contrast, "returning queen" Choi Min-jeong of the Seongnam City Hall team is projected to settle for silver in the women's 1500m, while the mixed 2000m relay is also tipped for silver. Women's curling and the women's 3000m short track relay are both listed as bronze-medal candidates.
One interesting point is how differently each analytics group sees things. SSA ranks Lim Jong-eon as low as sixth and women's curling in fourth place, yet it predicts gold medals for Choi Ga-on, Kim Gil-li and the women's 3000m relay.

What really fires up South Korean fans' competitive spirit is the projected national ranking. SI forecasts Norway to top the table with 16 golds, followed by the United States with 12, and Japan in third place with nine gold medals. That would put Japan 12 spots above South Korea, which it places in 15th.
Of course, a prediction is just that — a prediction. Sport is an unscripted drama. No dataset can fully capture the weight of every drop of sweat. Four years ago in Beijing and eight years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korean athletes tore up the script and produced miracles that defied expectations.
Harsh evaluations and cynical looks? All the better. For the Taeguk Warriors — the Korean athletes — there is no greater motivation. Now it is their turn to write a "comeback drama" on the ice of Milan.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter