By Lee Kyoung Mi and Yoon Sojung

The friendship between Lee Sang-Hwa and Nao Kodaira has touched many sports fans around the globe.

The two stars competed in the women's 500 m speed skating final at the Gangneung Oval on Feb. 18, where Lee won the silver and Kodaira earned the gold.

After finishing the race, Kodaira approached Lee to console her, saying, “Well done,” and, “I still respect you,” in Korean. Lee replied, “I respect you as you ran not only in the 500 m but also in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m races.”

As the two athletes circled the track after the race for a victory lap holding their national flags, the crowd gave them a big round of applause full of cheers.



The competition between Lee and Kodaira was in the media spotlight even before the PyeongChang Olympics began. It focused first on Lee’s pursuit of her third gold, after winning the gold medal in the women's 500 m race in both Vancouver and Sochi. It also focused on Kodaira, who was at the top of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating rankings.

Lee said in a press conference after the race that, “I have been with Kodaira for a long time and we celebrate each other's victories from the bottom of our hearts, whatever medals we get. I was able to be with her thanks to my rival,” expressing her thanks to the Japanese speed skater.

Kodaira said that, “I am well aware of the pressure Lee feels.”

“I want to congratulate her for overcoming the pressure and that’s why I told her I respect her.”

“Lee is a great athlete and I believe she is my friend,” said Kodaira. Both Korean and overseas media outlets have covered their friendship beyond the competition.

Korea's Yonhap News reported on Feb. 19 that, “Both athletes touched sports fans in the 2018 Winter Olympics. They not only showed a moment of precious friendship but also kept the pride of Asia.”

The Daily Sports, a Japanese sports paper, covered their friendship in an article on Feb. 19, saying that, “It was a beautiful moment. Outside the rink, they were back to friends and with their faces full of smiles.”

The U.S.-based Yahoo! Sports also noticed the two athletes consoling each other after the race, saying that, “She wasn’t alone with her emotions for long, however, as Kodaira immediately embraced her. It was a true Olympic moment,” in an article on Feb. 18.

The official Olympics Instagram account also covered on their friendship in a post on Feb. 18, showing a photo of the two hugging each other. Sports fans around the world wrote many supportive comments to praise their friendship, such as “Another excellent example of the Olympic spirit,” and, “Beautiful. This is what the Olympics are supposed to be about.”




km137426@korea.kr