⛸️ 2026-27 Short Track National Team Finalized! Hot News from the Ice - 2026.04.16 | Short Track

Hello, fans! It's your Short Track Speed Racer! ⛸️💨 The short track national team roster that will shine in the 2026-2027 season has finally been finalized! From the final results of the fierce 2nd trials to heartwarming stories off the ice, let's start overtaking on the outside track without a break! 🚀

👑 Choi Min-jeong Completes Warm-up for 'Last Dance' with Overwhelming 1st Place!

Following the news of the 1st trials last week, Choi Min-jeong swept the 1500m, 500m, and 1000m in the 2nd trials, securing 1st place overall early on with an overwhelming record of winning 5 out of 6 events ^[1]. Especially in the 1500m final, she proved her class by taking the lead with 11 laps to go and showing a thrilling comeback with an inside pass at the very end ^[3]. Choi Min-jeong, who announced her retirement from the national team after the World Championships in Seoul next March, is highly anticipated for this season as she wears the national flag for the last time ^[4].

🇰🇷 2026-2027 Season National Team Final Roster Revealed!

The men's and women's national team rosters that will lead the new season are complete ^[15]. In the men's division, Lee Jeong-min, who showed fantastic inside overtakes in the last Olympic relay, proudly became the individual event ace by taking 1st place overall ^[2]. Lee Jeong-min expressed his bold ambition, saying, "I will show the thrill I showed in the relay in the individual events as well." Kim Tae-sung took 2nd place and Bae Seo-chan took 3rd place, joining as relay members ^[6]. In particular, Bae Seo-chan, known as the younger brother of singer Bae Jin-young, shared his heartwarming thoughts on being selected for the senior national team for the first time, saying, "My brother was so happy and congratulated me, which made me excited" ^[7]. Meanwhile, in the men's 1500m final, Shin Dong-min took 1st place, and former world No. 1 Park Ji-won finished 3rd ^[8]. In the women's division, Shim Suk-hee took 2nd place overall, building a formidable lineup once again with Choi Min-jeong and Kim Gilli, who was automatically selected as a double gold medalist at the World Championships ^[5]. In addition, Choi Ji-hyun, Noh Ah-reum, and Park Ji-won from the Jeonbuk Provincial Office all wore the national flag, achieving the feat of producing three national team members from one team ^[9]. Including Lim Jong-eon, who was automatically selected in the men's division, it's a truly reliable Korean national team ^[10]!

✨ Colorful Stories On and Off the Ice

Beautiful Finish for Legends: The retirement ceremony for Lee Eun-byul and Lee Jung-su, heroes of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was held on the 12th right after the trials ^[11]. Lee Eun-byul left a cheerful message on her SNS, saying, "Thank you. Thank you. It's really, really over!" We send a big round of applause to the legends who have protected the pride of Korean women's short track! 👏 Lamborgilli's Baseball Stadium Outing: Kim Gilli, known as a 'true fan' of the KIA Tigers, successfully threw the first pitch wishing for a victory at the Gwangju Champions Field on the 16th ^[12]. She heated up the stadium atmosphere by excitedly singing along to Kim Do-young's cheer song with bright positive energy off the ice ^[13]. Global Speed Up: Jens van 't Wout, a three-time Olympic gold medalist from the Netherlands, announced his goal for next season to break the men's 1000m world record (1:20.875) held by Hwang Dae-heon for nearly 10 years ^[14]. International competitions in the upcoming season are expected to be even more exciting!

My heart is already pounding thinking about what thrilling races the newly formed national team will show in the upcoming season! I'll be back next week with the fastest and most accurate short track news. Bye! 👋