⛸️ Speed Skating Stars Off the Ice! From First Pitches to Pictorials 📸 - 2026.04.14⛸️ Speed Skating Stars Off the Ice! From First Pitches to Pictorials 📸 - 2026.04.14

Hello, speed skating fans! It's your Speed Skating Maniac 😆 Weren't you curious about our athletes who are making waves even off the ice? With the season over, we're hearing news one by one about athletes taking a short break or continuing new challenges. I've gathered all the diverse updates and interesting news of our speed skating stars this week as well! It's a time to catch a glimpse of the athletes' unexpected charms, quite different from the charismatic appearances they showed on the ice. Shall we dive right in? 🚀

⚾ 'True Doosan Fan' Im Ri-won Finally Steps on the Mound!

Remember the news about Im Ri-won's first pitch that I briefly previewed in the last newsletter? Finally, on April 8th, at the 2026 KBO League game between the Doosan Bears and Kiwoom Heroes held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Im Ri-won successfully threw the ceremonial first pitch for victory ^[1]!

As you all know, Im Ri-won is our rising ice star who competed as the youngest member of the speed skating national team at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics held last February, achieving valuable results of 28th place in the women's 1500m and 10th in the mass start ^[4]. She is well-known as a 'true fan' who always passionately cheers for the Doosan Bears, and she perfectly achieved one of her bucket list items with this pitch ^[5].

Even before the pitch, she expressed her overwhelming feelings, saying, "I'm so thrilled to stand on the mound I've dreamed of," and once she got up there, she radiated healthy energy befitting an ice fairy and showed a wonderful pitch ^[6]. She even perfectly pulled off the Doosan Bears' ceremony, receiving passionate applause from baseball fans. Having experienced such a big stage as the Olympics, aren't you even more excited for Im Ri-won's performances in the remaining speed skating season and the next Olympics? 💙

📸 Sportainer Kim Bo-reum's Refreshing Spring Pictorial

Former national team member Kim Bo-reum has been actively expanding her activities as a sportainer through various broadcasts and contents lately, and this time, her 'Airy Jacket' campaign pictorial with the sports brand Le Coq Sportif has been released ^[2].

This pictorial was themed 'Start Lightly', capturing the moments of movement that lightly wake up the body in situations like indoor warm-ups or outdoor running ^[2]. Kim Bo-reum's unique restrained energy and flexible movements stand out in the pictorial, expressing the product's lightness and mobility very well ^[7].

It's a different vibe from the charisma she showed while sprinting with explosive speed on the ice, showing her enjoying light and healthy exercise in her daily life, so the fan response is incredibly hot! You can also get a glimpse of styling tips that perfectly suit the current weather in early spring or changing seasons when you feel like doing some light exercise, so how about our fans also build up stamina with a light run like Kim Bo-reum? 🏃‍♀️✨

🌟 Winter Sports Stars in Sejong City & A Touching Story of Challenge

A meaningful event was held in Sejong City. Winter sports stars representing speed skating and figure skating gathered in one place to communicate with fans ^[3]. It was a very significant occasion where national team athletes of ice sports directly went up on stage to share their vivid experiences under the keyword of 'challenge' and talk about the true value of winter sports ^[3].

Speaking of challenges, I definitely want to introduce a touching video that has been making headlines online recently. It's the story of an athlete who silently overcame the criticism from her surroundings when transitioning to speed skating, leaving behind the massive title of short track Olympic dual gold medalist, and earned an Olympic ticket in just 4 months through training ^[8].

It's a video containing her feelings for a precious friend who passed away first, and the firm mindset that continued unwaveringly until her retirement race, and it really brought tears to my eyes ^[8]. I could feel once again how precious the blood and sweat of our ice athletes are as they overcome limits and constantly challenge themselves. I really hope our speed skating fans watch it and get some heartwarming motivation!

That's all for this week's news! You'll keep cheering loudly for our speed skating athletes who are shining brightly in their own ways both on and off the ice, right? I'll be back next week packed with fun and fruitful news! Have a refreshing rest of the week just like speed skating! Bye~ 👋⛸️

📰 Reference News (7)

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'두산팬' 韓 스피드스케이팅 막내 임리원, 꿈 이뤘다! 8일 잠실 키움전 시구

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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르꼬끄, 김보름 ‘에어리 재킷’ 캠페인 화보 공개

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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세종에 뜬 동계스포츠 스타…이들에게 도전이란? - B tv news

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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[Photo] Ice Rising Star Im Ri-won 'Wish Came True'

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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[포토] 밀라노 국대 임리원 '유후후 버킷리스트 달성'

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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[포토] 빙상 신예 임리원 '소원 이뤘당'

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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7

르꼬끄, 김보름과 ‘에어리 런’ 캠페인 공개

네이버뉴스 · 2026.04.08

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📺 Reference Videos (1)

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[Photo] Milano National Team Im Ri-won 'Yoohoo Bucket List Achieved'

▶짧은명언:AWAKE·2026.04.13