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Kim Gilli of the Republic of Korea prevailed in the Women’s 1500m on a dramatic final day of the Short Track competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Friday. 

Before her victory, the Dutch Express, with Jens van ’t Wout at the helm, raced to a historic first gold in the Men’s 5000m Relay as the Short Track wrapped up at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Kim Gilli claims first individual gold in the 1500m

Kim, nicknamed “Lambor-Gilli” for a reason, claimed her first individual Olympic gold medal, edging teammate and defending 1500m Olympic Champion Choi Minjeong into silver.

Corinne Stoddard earned the bronze, the USA’s only Short Track medal at these Games. 

Kim was in excellent shape from the beginning of the evening, winning her quarterfinal and her semifinal before the final showdown. In the final, she waited patiently at the back of the pack for her moment to strike. When it came, she moved up to third, into second and then on the last lap, into first place.

“I just really wanted to keep my position I did my best,” Kim noted. 

“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.”  

Choi finished just behind her younger teammate to take the silver, her second medal in Milan and her seventh Olympic medal overall. 

“In fact, these Olympic Games were greater and more amazing, there was a lot of heated competition compared to other Olympics,” Choi said. 

“While I was preparing I thought it would be my last Olympic Games and I thought I really wanted to give it my all.”  

Stoddard had suffered bad luck earlier in the Games when she failed to qualify for the finals in any of her other four events but took bronze at the last time of asking having led the field for the first half of the race. 

“The beginning of the Olympics till now has been the worst week and a half of my life,” Stoddard said. 

“To have an amazing day today with medal is such a relief. I proved to myself that I can skate under the Olympic pressure whereas before I didn’t know if I could.  

"After the 1000m I was really disappointed. I leaned on my teammates and coaches. Today I came in with the mindset that it can’t get worse. 

"Knowing that I had friends and family supporting me no matter what was really helpful. l just went in there today trying to skate like myself,” she continued. 

The legendary Arianna Fontana (ITA) had qualified for each Final A at her sixth Olympic Games but came fifth in this last race. The 14-time Olympic medalist had survived a dramatic quarterfinal that was stopped and re-started for safety reasons when three skaters, including Fontana, fell.

Silver medalist Choi Minjeong (KOR) congratulates her teammate and successor as Olympic 1500m champion Kim Gilli © Getty Images

Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) and the injured Kamila Sellier (POL) were penalized while Fontana went on to qualify for the semis and subsequently for Final A.

Two-time Milan Olympic Champion Xandra Velzeboer (NED) and three-time Olympic medalist Courtney Sarault (CAN) crashed in the semis as well and only made it into Final B, where they finished first and second. Three-time Olympic Champion Suzanne Schulting (NED), who also competed in long track in Milan, also missed out in the semis after a fall.

Kim leaps onto the top step of the podium to collect her first individual Olympic gold medal © Getty Images

"It was really great Games for me with two times gold individual,” Velzeboer said. 

“But yes, in the relays and today I had some bad luck. Today there was a crack in the ice. That's why there were so many falls in the semi-final. 

"Courtney Sarault was also taken out by the crack and maybe because others fell before me, the crack was made bigger or worse. 

I played it sometimes in my head, what could I have done differently? But I just couldn't have done anything. 

"If there's a crack in the ice, then you can't see it, you're just skating and then it happens. It's bad luck and also a shame because I felt really strong.”

Dutch Express claims Men’s Relay gold at last

The Netherlands, led by two-time Olympic Champion Jens van ’t Wout, made up for missing out in the Mixed Relay and Women’s Relay to strike gold in the Men’s 5000m Relay, their first Olympic medal at the event. As in Beijing four years ago, The Republic of Korea took silver and Italy earned the bronze.

Jens van 't Wout celebrates Relay victory for the Netherlands and his third gold medal of these Games © Getty Images

The final was full of exciting action. The Dutch Express was racing in second or first position throughout and Van ’t Wout, as the last skater, made sure to widen the gap to seal a comfortable win for his team that included his brother Melle as well as Teun Boer and Friso Emons. Itzhak de Laat, who skated in the semis, joined them on the podium. 

"I think we skated with the biggest balls,” Jens van ‘t Wout said. “For sure, everyone was nervous, and we decided to take it on. Go big or go home.”

De Laat said the success had been a long time coming.

“It's very special for us because in the past three Olympics, we either were in final or got kicked out in the semi-final,” he noted. 

“We really wanted to break through. We've been one of the top teams for so long, and we get one chance every four years, so it was really special. 

Finally, it worked, and we ended up showing that the relay is something that we're good at.”

The Dutch skaters hope that their success will help make their sport more popular at home and that Short Track will keep growing. 

Jens van 't Wout, right, and brother Melle compare gold medals on the podium © Getty Images

With three gold and one bronze medal, Jens van 't Wout was the most successful racer in the Short Track competition in Milan.

"The whole competition has been like a dream to me. I really have to take, I think, three weeks off to be able to know what just happened,” he shared.

"I'm just so incredibly proud of the team we are here, the team we came to the Olympics with,” he added. 

“We've never been this close as a team, and I think it really shows in our overall performance. And for me, I've never been happier." 

Korea edges hosts in battle for silver

There was a tight fight for silver and bronze. The Koreans, led by Hwang Daeheon and Rim Jongun, were overtaken by Italy with two laps to go but managed to edge the hosts over the final meters to snatch silver. 

“I’m thankful that the younger teammates put their trust in me and followed me well,” Hwang commented. 

“It’s such an honor to be here together like this. It was very fun. A bit disappointing, but still a very precious race for me.”

The Dutch, Korean and Italian 5000m Relay teams show off their medals © Getty Images

The Italians enjoyed the noisy Milan Ice Skating Arena and felt the support of the crowd. 

“We tried to control the race from the front. It didn’t work but we stayed calm,” Luca Spechenhauser said. 

“There was a lot of movement and the ice was not good at the end. The best thing at the Olympic Games is to stay calm, to keep working, and do the passes as clean as possible. We deserved the bronze and we happy about that.” 

2022 Olympic Relay Champions Canada, with their top stars William Dandjinou and 500m Olympic Champion Steven Dubois, led at the beginning of the final but fell back to fourth place. 

China won Final B.

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