South Korea’s short track speed skating team captured gold in the women’s 3000m relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics test event, with rising star Kim Gill-ri (Seongnam City Hall) living up to her coach’s nickname ‘Lamborghini Gillri’ through sheer speed and determination.
Victory Lap in Milan Arena
On February 19 (Korean time), at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, the Korean quartet—Choi Min-jeong and Kim Gill-ri (both Seongnam City Hall), Noh Do-hwi (Hwaseong City Hall), and Shim Seok-hwi (Seoul City Hall)—clocked 4 minutes 4.014 seconds to claim the top spot.
The Netherlands held second place mid-race until their skater Michelle Velzeboer crashed, allowing Choi Min-jeong to surge ahead and secure the win. Italy finished third.
Kim Gill-ri, the team’s youngest member, started from the back but chased down Italy’s Arianna Fontana in the final stages, powering through to bronze medal position earlier before the decisive overtake.
ESPN Spotlights Korean Star
American sports outlet ESPN highlighted Korea’s challenge to Italy, stating, “Korea challenged Italy and delivered an outstanding performance in the women’s 3000m relay, securing the first short track gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics test event.”
The outlet focused on Kim Gill-ri, noting, “Kim Gill-ri solidified her nickname ‘Lamborghini Gillri’. Renowned for her speed in the Italian sports scene, she pursued Pontana with overwhelming pace, driving the team to victory.”
Double Medal Haul for Kim Gill-ri
This marked Kim Gill-ri’s first major Olympic-level event, where she earned two medals. On February 16, she took bronze in the women’s 1000m with a time of 1:28.614, finishing third.
Three laps from the end in the relay, Kim Gill-ri advanced to third place. With five laps remaining, she unleashed a sprint, surging past rivals. Even elite skater Pontana could not close the gap as Korea held firm.
Kim Gill-ri faced Fontana again in the 3000m relay and once more powered ahead to seal the gold.
