(Olympics) Disappointed with Olympic debut in '18, speed skater eyes medal in '22

▲ South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun trains at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022, in preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun takes a moment during a training session at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022, in preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics. (Yonhap)

(Olympics) speed skater-competition

(Olympics) Disappointed with Olympic debut in '18, speed skater eyes medal in '22

By Yoo Jee-ho

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- On the day of her first Olympic race at home in 2018, South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun was dealing with such severe back pains that she needed a cortisone shot just to hit the ice.

The 2016 Winter Youth Olympic champion in the women's 500m finished in 16th place in the same distance at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics two years later, a result that Kim thinks could have been much better if she had taken better care of herself.

Now 22, Kim feels she has the maturity and skill set to win her first Olympic medal in Beijing this month.

"My first Olympics four years ago was disappointing on so many levels," Kim said after a training session at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Saturday. "I was mostly there to get my first taste of the Olympics. Now, I am here trying to get the result I want. I obviously want to win a medal. And I'd like to finish the Olympics without getting hurt."

Kim said she was in no shape to skate on the day of her 500m race at PyeongChang 2018. But since the race was taking place on South Korean ice, she said she would have regretted it if she hadn't at least taken the ice.

"I was feeling miserable then, but the situation is completely different now," said Kim, who finished this past International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup season at ninth overall in the 500m. "I've been taking care of myself a lot better. I just need to make sure I peak in time for my race (on Feb. 13)."

South Korea enjoyed unprecedented success in the women's 500m over the past three Olympics, with Lee Sang-hwa winning back-to-back gold medals in 2010 and 2014, and then taking home silver in 2018 in her Olympic swan song.

Kim, who has long been dubbed the "Next Lee Sang-hwa," is now tasked with extending the medal-winning streak to four.

"That designation doesn't put any burden on me," Kim said. "I've been hearing it for a long time now. I am thankful for people's interest and support."

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