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Ski Alpine Kim Sohee Named MVP of 105th National Winter Games
The 105th National Winter Games, the largest winter sports festival in Korea, was held in Gangwon-do (*Ice Speed [Seoul], Mountain [Gyeongbuk]) from the 22nd to the 25th. A total of 4,278 athletes from 17 cities and provinces, including 2,740 athletes and 538 officials, participated in the four-day event.
Organized by the Korea Sports Federation (KOF) and hosted by eight winter member sports organizations, the National Winter Games (hereinafter referred to as the 'Winter Games') continued to build on the enthusiasm for winter sports after the successful hosting of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games. In particular, the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province was selected as the main venue in consideration of the specificity of winter sports and the local environment. It will be held in Gangwon for five years from the 105th Games to the 109th Games.
The Games also capitalized on the Olympic legacy of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games. It served as an opportunity for athletes to boost their pride and improve their performance. The opening ceremony, which had not been held for four years due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), added to the significance of the Games.
In the overall standings by province, Gyeonggi Province won the overall title with a total of 287 medals and 1461 points. It was followed by Seoul in second place with 1074 points and Gangwon in third place with 841 points.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament was Korean women's skiing "signature star" Kim So-hee (28, Haiwon), who was voted by the Korean Sports Journalists Association (KJA). She received 61% of the vote (based on the number of eligible votes). Kim won four titles at the Games, winning the ski alpine giant slalom, combined, giant slalom and super giant slalom.
"I am very honored to be named MVP of the Winter Games," said Kim. "I would like to thank everyone from the Hi-One Ski Team and Coach Jung Hye-mi for helping me to dedicate myself to training until today, and I will use this award to become an athlete who will strive for 카지노사이트 greater challenges."
The event was highlighted by performances from some of South Korea's leading ice athletes. Short tracker Choi Min-jung (26-Seongnam City Hall) took first place in the women's 500-meter, 1,500-meter, and 3,000-meter relays. Kim Ria (25-Korea Gymnastics University) won gold in the women's collegiate 500, 1,000, and 3,000-meter relay, giving her three gold medals. Speedskating's Kim Min-sun (25-Goongju City Hall) won three gold medals in the women's individual 500 meters, 1,000 meters, and team pursuit (6 laps). Jung Jae-won (23, Seoul City Hall) also won three gold medals, taking gold in the mass start, 10,000 meters and team pursuit (8 laps).
The Games also showcased the talents of the future of Korean athletics. In cross-country, Park Jae-yeon (12, Daegwallyeongcho), Lee Seo-won (16, Jinbujung), and Cho Da-eun (15, Hwasunjeong) won four gold medals in the classic, combined, free, and relay. In addition, biathlete Yoo Hyun-min (16-Ildongjong) won four gold medals, taking first place in the sprint, mass start, relay, and mixed relay.
There were 106 multiple gold medalists, including three five-medal winners, 10 four-medal winners, 20 three-medal winners and 73 two-medal winners. A total of 17 competition records were set, including six in speedskating and 11 in short track. The Winter Games Overall Awards Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 70th Korea Sports Council Sports Awards Ceremony at Olympia Hall on the first floor of the Seoul Olympic Parktel at 4 p.m. on Feb. 29.