Speed skating sprinters chasing 1st medal

MILAN — Korean speed skating sprinters Kim Min-sun and Lee Na-hyun will be in pursuit of their first Olympic medal on the oval at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. The two will compete in the women's 500 meters at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, trying to following in the footsteps of Lee Sang-hwa, who won gold medals in that race in 2010 and 2014, and then added a silver in 2018. Kim, 26, has been seen as the heir apparent to Lee, and while Kim has had several victories at International Skating Union World Cup events, Olympic success has eluded her. Kim finished 16th in the 500m in her Olympic debut in 2018 and then seventh in 2022. Lee, 20, is the emerging star in the 500m who set the world junior record in that distance in January 2024. They both competed in the 1,000m as their first race in Milan on Monday, with Lee finishing ninth with a time of 1:15.76 and Kim ranking 18th in 1:16.24. Both skaters said afterward they came away feeling more confident about their chances in the 500m. Also on Sunday, freestyle skier Jung Dae-yoon will compete in the men's dual mogul