By Kim Eun-young and Kim Young Shin
Photos = Yonhap News

Korea’s favorite speed skating star Lee Seung-Hoon became the first-ever Olympic champion in the men’s mass start event, at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Lee claimed the gold medal with a time of 7:43.97 in the final race, earning 60 points at the Gangneung Oval on Feb. 24. He is the inaugural winner of the mass start race, which was introduced to the Olympics for the first time here in Pyeongchang.

With two laps to go, he shot ahead from eighth place. On the 15th lap, he stormed to second place and finally caught Bart Swings from Belgium who was in the lead. Swings took silver with a time of 7:44.08 and Koen Verweij from the Netherlands won bronze.

“It’s a great honor to win in the mass start, which was introduced to the Olympics held in my country,” said Lee after the race. “I was only able to win gold thanks to Chung Jaewon who helped me keep the distance with other athletes, making a sprint.”

Lee has won five Olympic medals so far in his career: in Vancouver a gold in the men’s 10,000 m and a silver in the men’s 5,000 m, in Sochi a silver in the team pursuit, and now in Pyeongchang a silver in the team pursuit and a gold in the mass start.



In the speed skating women’s mass start held prior to the men’s, Korea’s Kim Bo-Reum claimed silver.

Kim Bo-Reum won 40 points, crossing the finish line 0.12 seconds behind Japanese skater Nana Takagi who won the gold with a time of 8:32.87. Irene Schouten from the Netherlands came in third.

“I was only able to do my best thanks to the supportive crowd,” said Kim Bo-Reum after winning her first Olympic medal.

eykim86@korea.kr