Milan: South Korea captured the women's short track relay title on Wednesday for its first gold medal in the sport at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The quartet of Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Shim Suk-hee, and Noh Do-hee finished first in the women's 3,000-meter short track relay, ahead of Italy and Canada at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this victory marked South Korea's second gold medal of this year's Winter Games, and its seventh medal overall. South Korea entered the day with a silver and two bronze medals in short track, which was considered below expectations for the traditionally dominant short track nation. This win reinforced South Korea's lead in the all-time short track medal tally with 27 gold medals and 57 medals in total.

Choi Min-jeong's performance in the relay earned her a sixth career Olympic medal, tying her with former archer Kim Soo-nyung, retired shooter Jin Jong-oh, and speed skater Lee Seung-hoon for the most Olympic medals by a South Korean athlete. With her fourth gold, Choi also equaled former short track legend Chun Lee-kyung for the most Winter Games gold medals by a South Korean athlete.

Shim Suk-hee, who now holds three Olympic golds, all in the 3,000m relay, joined her teammates Kim Gil-li and Noh Do-hee, each capturing their first gold medals. Kim had previously secured a bronze in the women's 1,000m in Milan. Lee So-yeon, who participated in the relay semifinals, was also awarded the gold medal, marking the first of her career.

The final day of short track races is set for Friday, featuring the women's 1,500m and the men's 5,000m relay. South Korea will compete in the relay final, and Choi will aim for her third consecutive gold medal in the 1,500m event.

Choi initiated the 27-lap race on Wednesday, quickly taking the lead. The competition saw Canada, then the Netherlands, and South Korea vying for the top position. A critical moment occurred with 16 laps to go when a Dutch skater collided with a Canadian skater, nearly causing Choi to fall. Despite the incident, South Korea remained in contention, trailing Canada and Italy.

As the race neared its conclusion, a Canadian skater's slip allowed Italy to take the lead. In a strategic move, Shim propelled Choi into second place, setting up the final exchange with anchor Kim Gil-li. In the last two laps, Kim overtook Italy's Arianna Fontana, securing the gold for South Korea-their first women's relay gold in eight years.