Choi Min-jeong wins 1,000m gold in first ISU World Tour event

South Korean short track legend Choi Min-jeong secured a gold medal in the women’s 1,000m at the first 2026-2027 ISU Short Track World Tour event held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Competing in her final season before retirement, Choi moved from third place to first during the final three laps, overtaking competitors from Italy and the Netherlands.

In addition to her individual gold, Choi led the South Korean women’s relay team to a silver medal in the 3,000m event, finishing behind Canada. On the men’s side, Lim Jong-on earned a silver medal in the 1,500m, finishing behind the Netherlands’ Jens van Baardewijn.

While the South Korean team saw success in several categories, they failed to medal in the men’s 500m. Lee Jeong-min was disqualified from the 500m final following contact with Canada’s Steven Dubois. The South Korean team, led by coach Lee Jae-kyung, aims to reclaim the Crystal Globe season overall title during this seven-stop tour.