Seoul: At age 24, when many other athletes prepare for their Olympic debut, South Korean speed skater Chung Jae-won is gearing up for his third consecutive Winter Games already. On top of that, Chung is also going for his third straight medal, after winning the men's team pursuit silver in 2018 and a mass start silver in the men's mass start four years later.
According to Yonhap News Agency, for the Milan-Cortina Olympics next month, Chung said he will only compete in the mass start, dropping the team pursuit from his schedule to focus on his main event. "I will be up against some great skaters from around the world," Chung told reporters in a recent media availability in Seoul. "But I also have a ton of experience, and I am pretty confident."
Chung made his first Olympic appearance as a 16-year-old high school student on home ice at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games and teamed up with Lee Seung-hoon and Kim Min-seok for the team pursuit silver. Chung became the youngest South Korean speed skater ever to win an Olympic medal. Also in PyeongChang, Chung served as a pacemaker of sorts for Lee in the mass start, helping the veteran win the gold medal in a controversial strategic move that was later criticized for forcing Chung, then the youngest member of the national team, to make sacrifices.
Chung came into his own in Beijing in 2022 as he soared to silver in the mass start. So far this International Skating Union World Cup season, Chung has won two silver medals in the mass start in four appearances. Chung is fourth in the overall World Cup points standings, behind a trio of 30-something veterans from Europe: Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands, Andrea Giovannini of Italy, and Bart Swings of Belgium. Jordan Stolz of the United States, 21, has also come on strong this season and won the most recent World Cup mass start title last month in Norway.
The mass start is different from other individual speed skating races in that all skaters start en masse and some physical contact is permitted. It's a hybrid race with some short track action and long track race strategy. Skaters have typically begun their race slowly to conserve energy for a late push, but Chung said the trend has changed a bit lately. "Skaters tend to get into a fast tempo early, instead of waiting to see who will charge out in front," Chung said. "Because I am only competing in the mass start, I will focus on preparing for many different situations."