There were some doubts over the Republic of Korea heading into the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. 

Historically, the best nation in Olympic Short Track, the team hadn’t been dominating in the way it had become accustomed to over the past couple of seasons. Might Canada and the Netherlands’ in-form racers keep them off the podiums?

They needn’t have worried. Legendary athlete Choi Minjeong found her form, while Rim Jongun and Hwang Daeheon impressed for the men, but it was their young star, 21-year-old Kim Gilli, who led the charge.

Kim has shown her brilliance over the past few years, winning the 2023/24 ISU Crystal Globe, with explosive showings in the 1000m and 1500m in particular. 

Now the racer they call “LamborGilli” for her lightning acceleration was trying to do it on the biggest stage of all. She didn’t disappoint. 

The Seoul speedster left Milan with a bronze in the 1000m, gold in the 1500m, anchoring the women’s relay team to send the Korean fans wild. 

A steady start in the 1000m 

Kim was well aware that many top names in Short Track get to the Olympic Winter Games and crumble. Getting any kind of medal early in proceedings settles the nerves and banishes anxiety about going through a Games without a podium place.

In the 1000m, the Korean kept cool. Always able to race tactically and conserve energy for a late charge, she won her heat neatly ahead of Michelle Velzeboer of the Netherlands. 

Her quarter-final was a ‘group of death’: Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands and Kristen Santos Griswold of the USA, both heavily decorated in this distance, lined up alongside her.

Kim shadowed the Dutch racer to perfection and shut out KSG to make it to the semis. There was drama in that race: Kim was impeded by Belgium’s Hanne Desmet and advanced to the final.

In the endgame, she was calm once again. Winner Velzeboer was on another planet, and even the season’s strongest racer, Courtney Sarault of Canada, couldn’t get close. But Kim took the battle within the battle, forging ahead of Arianna Fontana of Italy to seal bronze, and her first Olympic podium. 

“When I fell (in the semi-final), I was very scared whether I got hurt. Thankfully there wasn’t anything and I was in the front and I got advanced,” Kim said afterwards.

“It was good luck. This is my first Olympic Games and I am so happy and excited. I will be more confident with this medal and I want to give it my all in the relay and the 1500m.”

(Left to right) Courtney Sarault, Xandra Velzeboer, Kim Gilli during the podium ceremony after competing in the Women's 1000m of Short Track Speed Skating at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. © Getty Images

Glory in the 1500m and Women’s Relay 
Give her all she certainly did. Next up was the women’s relay, and the Koreans prevailed in a dramatic final, edging Italy for the gold medal, with Canada third. 

Kim once again looked a serene presence amid the madness. “We wanted to show what Korea could do,” she said. 

She has always paid tribute to her close friend, colleague and rival rolled into one. “I have always looked up to Minjeong and she has taught me so much,” Kim said. “She is a great skater and she has been a mentor to me. She has a great mentality and keeps us calm.”

Gold medalist Kim Gilli and Silver medalist Choi Minjeong celebrate after competing in final A of the Short Track Speed Skating Women's 1500m at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. © Getty Images

Next up was her favorite event: the 1500m. Kim topped the 2025/26 ISU standings in the distance, and had learned how Choi masters the required blend of tactics and speed.

Choi had won this distance at the previous two Olympic Games, and was seeking a unique treble – no skater, male or female, has won three Olympic 1500m gold medals in the sport. Her teammate looked the skater most likely to deny it. 

Kim powered through the qualifying rounds, winning her quarter-final and semi-final without difficulty. The final was packed with quality: Kim, Choi, Fontana and Corinne Stoddard all lined up. 

Kim executed the perfect race, waiting at the back of the pack, gradually moving up through the ranks. With two laps left, she glided past Choi and turned up the speed. Her golden dream had come true.

“I just really wanted to keep my position. I did my best,” she said. “I’m strongest in the 1500m and I really wanted to get the gold. I’m super ecstatic. To be able to win gold at such a stage is something I’m very happy about.” 

Could Korea do it again at the Olympics? Of course they could. Back in Seoul, Kim was soon seen behind the wheel of an actual Lamborghini. And scariest of all? The best may still be to come.

Choi Minjeong (L) and Kim Gilli compete in the short track speed skating women's 1500m final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy © Getty Images

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