Milano: Speed skaters Lee Na-hyun and Kim Min-sun both walked away from their first races of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday feeling confident they can reach the podium in their next event. In the women's 1,000 meters at Milano Speed Skating Stadium here in northern Italy, Lee finished ninth with a time of 1:15.76. Kim clocked 1:16.24 to rank 18th.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee became the first South Korean to crack the top 10 in this race. While she said it was "a meaningful accomplishment," Lee was already looking ahead to her main event, the 500m, scheduled for Sunday. Lee expressed her determination to push for a medal in the 500m, sharing her thoughts on her performance and preparation strategies.

Lee mentioned feeling inspired after watching two Dutch skaters, Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok, break Olympic records. Kok took the top spot with a time of 1:12.59, only to be surpassed by Leerdam's 1:12.31. Lee learned valuable lessons from observing their techniques and felt motivated to improve her own performance.

Kim, although not satisfied with her overall time, found encouragement in her performance during the first 200m. Her split of 17.83 seconds was among the top marks in the field. Kim expressed confidence in her potential for the 500m, considering the 1,000m race as a preparatory step towards her ultimate goal of winning a medal.

Kim acknowledged challenges with her start throughout the season but felt content with her race execution. She emphasized that her hard work was beginning to yield positive results, setting her sights firmly on the upcoming 500m event.