SHORT TRACK
Olympic Champion Hwang, World Champion Dandjinou target redemption in Men’s 1500m
13 Feb 2026
Reigning 1500m Olympic Champion Hwang Daeheon, pictured above*, of the Republic of Korea and four-time ISU World Champion William Dandjinou of Canada are back and looking for redemption after missing out in the 1000m at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Day Three of the Olympic Short Track competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena also features the Women’s 3000m Relay semi-finals and the Women’s 1000m heats. Competition starts on Saturday at 20.15 local time with the Men’s 1000m quarter-finals.
Hwang (KOR) looking to defend the title
- Hwang Daeheon is the reigning Olympic Champion over this distance but has recently not been among the top skaters, except for a second-place finish at the ISU World Tour #1 in Montreal.
- Reigning 1500m ISU World Champion William Dandjinou (CAN) missed out on a medal in the 1000m on Thursday and is eager to come back stronger.
- Newly minted 1000m Olympic Champion Jens van T’Wout (NED) arrives with fresh confidence in the competition.
- The new 1000m Olympic silver and bronze medalists Sun Long (CHN) and Rim Jongun (KOR) have set their eyes on the podium again.
- Others to watch include Olympic record holder Liu Shaoang (CHN) and Felix Roussel (CAN).
William Dandjinou (CAN) is targeting a medal after missing out in the 1000m © Getty Images
Netherlands, Italy and Canada fighting for a spot in Women’s 3000m Relay final
- Defending Olympic Champions Netherlands, with their strong squad including 500m Olympic Champion Xandra Velzeboer, headline the field.
- The Italian women, led by legendary Arianna Fontana, hope to keep their medal chances alive by getting into the final A.
- The Netherlands and Italy face each other in the first semi-final.
- The second semi-final features Canada as well as 2022 Olympic silver medalists Republic of Korea and 2022 Olympic bronze medalists China.
Velzeboer, Choi, Desmet to feature in Women’s 1000m Heats
- The new 500m Olympic Champion Xandra Velzeboer (NED) will have a busy day and looks to continue her medal hunt.
- Reigning 1000m Olympic silver medalist Choi Minjeong (KOR) and bronze medalist Hanne Desmet (BEL) are back.
- Other top contenders are new 500m Olympic bronze medalist Courtney Sarault (CAN) as well as 500m finalists Selma Poutsma (NED) and Kim Boutin (CAN).
Xandra Velzeboer won the 500m and will be targeting another medal in Milan © Getty Images
Quick Facts
- Thirty-five Men representing 18 NOCs and one AIN compete in the 1500m quarter-finals. The three best athletes in each quarter-final (Q) and the three fastest 4th placed athletes (q) qualify for the semifinals.
- The world record is 2:07.943 (Sjinkie Knegt, NED) and the Olympic record is 2:09.213 (Liu Shaolin, HUN/CHN).
- Eight teams compete in the Women’s 3000m Relay. The 1st and 2nd teams in each semi-final qualify for Final A and the 3rd and 4th teams qualify for Final B.
- Thirty-one Women representing 13 NOCs and one AIN compete in the Women’s 1000m heats.
- The two best women in each heat (Q) and the four fastest third-placed athletes (q) qualify for the quarter-finals.
- The Women’s 1000m world record is 1:25.958 and the Olympic record is 1:26.514 (Beijing 2022), both held by Suzanne Schulting (NED).
*photo credit: Getty Images
