Hwang Dae-heon, aged 27, and Shin Dong-min, 21, qualified for the men’s 1,500-meter short track speed skating final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Hwang, who came in third during Heat 1 with a time of 2 minutes 15.823 seconds, earned his place in the final following the disqualification of Miyata Shogo from Japan, who had finished in second position.
Shin, who initially stood in fourth position during Heat 3, moved up to second place after the skaters in front of him crashed and were penalized, ultimately qualifying for the final.
On the 15th, at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Hwang faced off against world champion William Danilnu from Canada in the first semifinal round. He was positioned last among seven skaters until only four laps were left, patiently waiting for his chance.
With three laps remaining, Hwang sped up, quickly rising to fifth and then third position. He subsequently took second place when Miyata was disqualified for being found guilty of fouling Chinese skater Liu Xiaoang.
Danilnu, who achieved a time of 2 minutes and 15.619 seconds, secured the top position in the heat.
The final will consist of the top two skaters from each heat, as well as the quickest third-place competitor from the three heats.
In the third semifinal heat, Shin, who initially took a leading position, dropped to fifth place during the middle stages of the race. He maintained fourth place until there was one lap left, but when the skaters in second and third positions collided and fell, he finished second with a time of 2 minutes 17.192 seconds.
Niall Tracy achieved a time of 2 minutes and 16.816 seconds, securing the top position.
Hwang and Shin will compete for medals at 6:35 a.m. together with Jens van ‘t Hooft from the Netherlands, who secured first position in Heat 2 with a time of 2 minutes 14.988 seconds, along with others.
Rim Jong-un, 19, who won a bronze medal in the 1,000-meter event, was knocked out during the preliminary semifinals.
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