Kim Yunji on March 15 poses with her five medals at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Tesero, Italy, earned at this year's Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics. She set a Korean record for the most individual medals in an Olympics or Paralympics.

By Xu Aiying
Photos = Korea Paralympic Committee

Kim Yunji has etched her name in the annals of domestic sports, earning five medals at the just-concluded Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics in Italy, the most by a Korean in an Olympics or Paralympics.

On March 15, she won the gold in the women’s 20-km interval start sitting race of cross-country skiing with a time of 58 minutes, 23.3 seconds at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in the village of Tesero.

Kim thus finished the competition with five medals (two gold and three silver), the most by a Korean in an Olympics and Paralympics, winter or summer.

She started her quest on March 8 by becoming the first Korean woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Paralympics in the women's sitting 12.5-km biathlon sprint. She earned the silver in the sitting skiing sprint and 10-km interval start in cross-country skiing and the sitting biathlon sprint pursuit.

On the final day of the tournament, Kim delivered a spectacular performance in her first competing in the 20-km cross-country skiing event. She led early in the race, overtaking Oksana Masters of the U.S., who had bagged four gold earlier in the competition.

Kim faced a challenge at the 6-km mark as Masters took the lead, but maintained a relaxed pace until the end and crossed the finish line 1 minute, 11.2 seconds before Masters.

Kim's five medals helped Korea achieve its best performance in a Winter Paralympics with two gold, four silver and one bronze. 

Kim Yunji (center) on March 15 holds her gold medal at the winners' ceremony for the 20-km interval start sitting race of women's cross-country skiing at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in the village of Tesero, Italy.