Kim Yunji (left) on March 11 poses with her silver medal in the 10-km interval start sitting race of cross-country skiing on the winners' podium of the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics in Italy at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in the village of Tesero.

By Hong Angie

Photos = Korea Paralympic Committee

Rising star Kim Yunji on March 11 won her third medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics in Italy.

With one gold and two silver, she set a Korean record for most individual medals in a Winter Paralympics.

She finished runner-up to Oksana Masters of the U.S. with a time of 26 minutes, 51:06 seconds in the 10-km interval start sitting race of cross-country skiing at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in the village of Tesero.

Cross-country skiing has competitors race at high speed on courses built on snowy terrain. Interval races require four laps on a 2.5-km course, with athletes starting at 30-second intervals, and the final time adjusted for disability level determines the rankings.

Earlier on March 8, Kim won the first gold by a Korean woman in the Winter Paralympics, claiming victory in the biathlon's 12.5-km individual sitting event. She maintained her winning momentum by taking the silver two days later in cross-country skiing's sprint sitting race.

Lee Yongsuk (left) and Baek Hyejin form Korea's national mixed doubles team in wheelchair curling.

Kim was not the only Korean to shine at the tournament. The mixed doubles team of Baek Hyejin and Lee Yongsuk won the silver in wheelchair curling, the nation's first in the event in 16 years.

The duo on March 11 lost to China's Wang Meng and Yang Jinqiao in the final in overtime, 9-7, at the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Despite the loss, Baek and Lee were Korea's first to medal in wheelchair curling since Vancouver 2010, when the mixed team of Kang Mi-suk, Park Kil-woo, Kim Hak-sung, Cho Yang-hyun, Kim Myung-jin and Yang Se-young won the silver.

shong9412@korea.kr