4-Time Olympian's Bold Gamble: Will It Pay Off?!

Milan, Italy - Kim Jun-ho, a veteran speed skater, exudes an air of quiet confidence as he gears up for what he anticipates will be his fourth, and potentially final, Winter Olympics, nestled in the scenic landscapes of northern Italy. After years of dedication, he's ready to leave it all on the ice.

4-Time Olympian's Bold Gamble: Will It Pay Off?!

"I believe I've grown significantly stronger mentally," Kim stated after a test run in the men's 500-meter event held at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium this Wednesday. "It's not my first rodeo, you know? This marks my fourth Olympics, and I find myself much more at ease with everything."

At 30 years old, Kim's journey hasn't been without its hurdles. He's openly acknowledged struggling with pre-race jitters in the past, which might explain why an Olympic medal has remained elusive despite his undeniable talent. I remember watching him in Beijing, and he was so close. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics saw him finish a heartbreaking sixth, a mere 0.04 seconds separating him from Japan's Wataru Morishige, who clinched the bronze.

But things are changing. Kim revealed just last month that he's been working diligently with a mental coach, and he affirmed on Thursday that he's ready to showcase a different version of himself, a more resilient skater. This is a really important development for him.

"I trust the work I've put in, the countless hours of training, and I trust in my own abilities," Kim emphasized. "I don't anticipate wavering. That's how intensely I've been working, and I'm determined to give it everything I have out there on the ice." He seems genuinely focused and ready.

With the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics just around the corner, Kim participated in a test event at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium on Thursday, fine-tuning his skills and acclimatizing to the venue.

The men's 500m race is slated for February 14th, and the pressure is certainly on. Kim, along with 21 other sprinters, took part in a trial race on Wednesday, skating in 11 pairs to simulate the high-stakes competition environment. Interestingly, several athletes chose to focus solely on their starts, opting to ease up after navigating the first corner, perhaps saving their energy for the real deal.

Kim, however, skated with noticeable intensity, clocking in at 35.39 seconds. While this fell slightly short of his national record time of 33.78 seconds, set in November 2025, Kim remains optimistic, stating that he will concentrate on sharpening his speed in the crucial initial phase of the race. It's all about those tenths of a second!

"I tried to mentally prepare myself for this as if it were an actual Olympic race, but once I got here, I felt a little relaxed because it was just a test event after all," Kim said. "I was pleased with some aspects of the race and not so much with some other parts. I've been trying to add some strength lately and I think that has cost me some explosiveness at the start. So I will have to work on that over the next 10 days."

Addressing the ice conditions at the temporary venue, which has been ingeniously constructed within the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition hall, Kim shared his observations: "I am still getting used to it. The ice may not be perfect now but I think it should continue to get better as we move closer to the competition." He's hoping for ideal conditions to showcase his best performance.