"Push Me Forward" – Choi Min-jeong's Act of Forgiveness Draws Global Attention as the Miracle 3000m Relay Brings Shim Suk-hee to Tears [Milan 2026]

According to Financial News, one of the most complete and powerful dramas that sport can produce unfolded at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy.
The South Korean women’s short-track speed skating team captured a miraculous gold medal in the 3000m relay at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. It marked their return to the throne eight years after the 2018 Winter Olympics (Pyeongchang 2018).
The moment they were first to cross the finish line, Shim Suk-hee of the Seoul City Hall team, back on the Olympic stage for the first time in eight years, collapsed onto the ice and burst into tears.
Team captain Choi Min-jeong of the Seongnam City Hall team, who had willingly offered her back to Shim, turned to her with a radiant smile. More than the color of the medal, the story of reconciliation the two skaters created is what moved the world so deeply.

Just a few years ago, it was unthinkable to imagine these two pushing each other in a relay. The rift between them was deep and devastating.
In the women’s 1000m final at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the two collided mid-race and crashed onto the ice together. The tragedy grew even larger off the ice.
In 2021, private messages between Shim Suk-hee and a then-coach were leaked. They revealed disparaging remarks about Choi Min-jeong and language that appeared to suggest a so-called deliberate collision.
Feeling betrayed by the teammate she trusted most, Choi suffered a wound to her heart that seemed impossible to heal. The Korea Skating Union handed Shim a two-month suspension, and she ultimately missed the 2022 Winter Olympics. Even when both were later selected to the national team, any direct touch between them in relay exchanges was strictly avoided.
Having Shim Suk-hee, with her superior build and strength, push the lighter, explosively fast Choi Min-jeong had long been South Korea’s "surefire formula" in women’s short track. But in the face of a firmly closed heart, that formula was useless.
The team’s results plummeted, from a silver medal at the Beijing 2022 Games to the humiliation of going winless on the World Cup circuit.

But on the eve of the 2025–2026 Olympic season, a miracle occurred. Choi Min-jeong, who had been given the armband as unified captain of both the men’s and women’s squads, made a monumental decision for the sake of the team. She chose to embrace the thorn that had once pierced her and offered her back again to Shim Suk-hee to save a crumbling South Korean short track program.
Once the seal on this long-dormant "ultimate duo" was broken, the ice began to tremble. In the final held on the 19th, South Korea was dragged into a bleak situation when they were caught up in the aftermath of a fall by a skater from the Netherlands, dropping back to third and fourth among the four teams. With 10 laps to go, and again with four laps remaining—the decisive moments of the race—Shim Suk-hee inevitably closed in on Choi Min-jeong.
Shim summoned every last ounce of strength to give Choi a powerful push on the hip. Fueled by that momentum, Choi shot through the inside line like an arrow and surged into second place in an instant.
That magnificent "touch" laid the foundation for the comeback drama. Anchor skater Kim Gil-li then crossed the finish line in first place, sealing the gold medal.

After the race, Shim Suk-hee could not stop crying. When Choi Min-jeong announced her retirement, Shim finally shared the feelings she had long kept pressed down in her heart in an official interview.
Hesitating often, she said, "Min-jeong must have been really busy preparing for her individual events, but she thought even more about the relay than about her own races, and I was so grateful for that," expressing her thanks.
She went on, "The responsibility that comes with being captain must have felt like a huge burden. It must have been uncomfortable and difficult in many ways... I really want to say thank you for working so hard even through all of that."
This gold medal, born from Choi Min-jeong’s bold forgiveness and Shim Suk-hee’s tears of repentance, means far more than simply finishing first at the Olympics.
Even foreign media have been captivated by this sports movie come to life. It perfectly showed the world why the South Korean women’s short-track team, united after overcoming deep wounds, remains the strongest in the world.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter