"A silver-medal start is great, but..." Korea’s first national anthem in Milan will likely come from short track [2026 Milan]

[Financial News] The start on the snow was bright. Veteran Kim Sang-gyeom claimed a valuable silver medal in the snowboard parallel giant slalom, delivering the first medal news to the South Korean national team delegation. The gold that many had expected from “Cabbage Boy” Lee Sang-ho did not materialize, but thanks to Kim Sang-gyeom’s surprise performance, Korea opened the Games with solid early momentum. Now attention shifts from the “silver-lit slopes” to the “cold ice.” Korea’s first gold medal, and all the weight that comes with it, now rests squarely on the shoulders of the short track mixed relay team.
On the 10th local time, the Milan Ice Skating Arena is expected to become the watershed that will decide the fate of the South Korean delegation. On the same day, “new queen of the ice” Kim Min-sun and “monster prospect” Lee Na-hyun will race in the women’s 1000m speed skating. However, a cold assessment of their strengths shows that their true main event is not the 1000m but the 500m. They can certainly target the podium in the 1000m, yet there are too many variables to call them clear gold-medal favorites. In the end, the most realistic and reliable chance to make the South Korean national anthem ring out over Milan belongs to the short track mixed relay.

Kim Sang-gyeom’s silver has eased the pressure of a potential “no-medal” start, but the symbolic weight of the “first gold” remains immense. It is the gold medal that ultimately sets the tone and morale for the entire delegation in the early days of the Games. The mixed relay is the first short track event to award medals at these Olympics. In this race, two men and two women share 2000m, making it a true “war on ice.” The distance is short, so the early sprint is ferocious, and countless variables arise in the exchange zones where male and female skaters alternate. Even for Korea, which prides itself on being the world’s best, this is a foggy, unpredictable battle where complacency is not an option.

The meaning of this gold would go far beyond simply adding “one” to the medal count. It would turn the “silver signal flare” fired by Kim Sang-gyeom into a “golden fireworks display” and ignite the entire team. The short track squad is steeled for the challenge. From veteran leader Choi Min-jeong to the fearless Im Jong-eon, they have tightened their skate laces with the determination to “get the first button perfectly fastened.” If a gold vein opens up in the mixed relay, its explosive impact could carry over into the remaining individual events and the men’s and women’s relays in unstoppable fashion. On the other hand, if they stumble here, the Korean delegation will have to battle the psychological burden of chasing that elusive first gold for the rest of the Games.
With the medal race opened by Kim Sang-gyeom, the baton has now been passed to short track. There is no room to retreat; this is the decisive turning point. What South Korean short track must prove is not the glory of the past, but its true strength in this very moment. On a night in Milan, the all-out charge carrying the hopes of an entire nation is about to begin.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter