Milan: South Korean teen short track speed skater Rim Jong-un is generating buzz as a youngster to watch ahead of his Winter Games debut in northern Italy this month.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the 18-year-old was selected as one of 10 "rising stars to watch" at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics by the event's website on Tuesday.

Rim secured his place on the highly competitive national short track team by outperforming seasoned veterans, including 2022 Olympic 1,500-meter champion Hwang Dae-heon, during the trials last year. Last year, Rim clinched his third world junior title and quickly made a mark on the senior circuit by winning the opening 1,500m race in the 2025-26 International Skating Union Short Track World Tour season in Montreal.

Throughout the World Tour campaign, Rim captured a gold and a silver in the 1,000m races and contributed to South Korea's victory in two 5,000m relay gold medals. As the youngest member of the national short track team, Rim aims to add to South Korea's impressive record of 26 gold medals and 53 total medals in the Winter Olympics.

Rim's inclusion on the rising stars list places him among other notable athletes such as U.S. halfpipe snowboarder Alessandro Barbieri, Canadian skeleton slider Hallie Clarke, Australian freestyle skier Indra Brown, and Slovenian ski jumper Nika Prevc.