Winter Youth Olympics-leaders

▲ This file photo from April 7, 2019, shows former South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa. (Yonhap)

Winter Youth Olympics-leaders

Olympic champions named co-heads of 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in S. Korea

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Yonhap) -- Two of the most decorated Olympic athletes for South Korea have been named co-heads of the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in South Korea.

Organizers of the Winter Youth Olympics in the east coast province of Gangwon on Tuesday unveiled Jin Jong-oh, a four-time Olympic shooting gold medalist, and Lee Sang-hwa, a two-time Olympic speed skating champion, as their two leaders.

Another former Olympian, the 2010 women's singles figure skating champion Kim Yu-na, was selected as an honorary ambassador.

Jin, 43, is the only individual four-time gold medalist in Olympic shooting history. He's the only Olympic shooter to have won three straight gold medals in one event, having done so in the men's 50m pistol from 2008 to 2016. He also has a gold medal in the 10m air pistol in 2012. His two silver medals came in the 50m pistol in 2004 and the 10m air pistol in 2008.

With six Olympic medals, Jin is tied with former archer Kim Soo-nyung for most in South Korean history.

Jin is a native of Chuncheon, capital of Gangwon Province, and cut his teeth in sports administration while serving on the board of directors for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC).

Lee, 33, is considered one of the greatest speed skaters of her generation. She won consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 500 meters in 2010 and 2014, and added a silver in 2018. Her world record time in the 500m, 36.36 seconds, has stood for just over nine years.

Lee also won three gold medals at the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships and one gold at the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships.

Joining the two in the leadership group will be two new vice chairs: Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Olympic men's table tennis gold medalist and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and You Byong-jin, a vice president of the KSOC.

The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics will run from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, with some 1,900 athletes from 70 countries competing for 81 gold medals in 15 events.

It will be the fourth iteration of the quadrennial event and the first to take place outside Europe. The first three competitions were in Austria, Norway and Switzerland.

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