(Olympics) Speed skater Cha Min-kyu wins silver medal in men's 500m

▲ Cha Min-kyu of South Korea competes in the men's 500m speed skating race at the Beijing Winter Olympics at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Feb. 12, 2022. (Yonhap)

(Olympics) S Korea-speed skating silver

(Olympics) Speed skater Cha Min-kyu wins silver medal in men's 500m

By Yoo Jee-ho

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- Cha Min-kyu captured silver in the men's 500m speed skating race at Beijing 2022 on Saturday, stunning the skating world once again with his second straight Olympic medal.

Cha posted the time of 34.39 seconds at the National Speed Skating Oval, finishing behind Gao Tingyu of China, who set a new Olympic record with 34.32 seconds. Wataru Morishige of Japan took the bronze medal in 34.49 seconds.

Cha, 28, is now the first South Korean man to win back-to-back medals in the 500m. Four years ago at PyeongChang 2018, Cha finished only 0.01 second behind Haavard Holmefjord Lorentzen of Norway for a shocking silver medal.

This is South Korea's second speed skating medal in Beijing, after Kim Min-seok delivered bronze in the men's 1,500m on Tuesday.

South Korea has produced a medalist in the men's 500m at four of the past five Olympics.

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