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It’s four years since Beijing 2022 but nearly all the Short Track champions from the Games in China will be back in the hunt for gold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Here are those reigning champions…

Trio eye historic hat-tricks

The women’s Short Track field is fascinating: all three individual distances at the Beijing Games were won by the same athlete that had won gold in PyeongChang 2018. Now all three are back to try and complete legendary hat-tricks.

Home nation hero Arianna Fontana (ITA), pictured above, will be one of the faces of Milano Cortina 2026. She is flag bearer for her nation, and Italy’s most decorated Winter Olympian. Fontana has 11 Olympic medals, two of them gold, won back-to-back in the 500m at the last two Games. Now 35 and at her sixth Games, she is seeking to retain her sprint title.

Suzanne Schulting (NED) is the reigning 1000m champion – but although she is in Milan, she will not compete in the 1000m this time around. She powered to gold in this, her favourite distance, at both PyeongChang and Beijing, but after two seasons on the Short Track sidelines, mainly concentrating on Speed Skating, she has only qualified for the 1500m. Still, a triple medal achievement is still possible.

Suzanne Schulting's switch to long-track might have ruled her out of defending her 1000m title but the 1500m remains a target © ISU

Choi Minjeong (KOR) won the 1500m impressively in Beijing to retain the PyeongChang title she took at her home Games. Already a legend in Korea after becoming overall World Champion four times, she is a strong contender again in Milan.

The Netherlands won the women’s 3000m relay last time. It was an emotional victory: a member of their team, Lara van Ruijven, had died aged just 27 in 2020 after a sudden illness, and the remaining line-up won the title for her. Xandra Velzeboer was part of that squad and will go again alongside her sister Michelle and Selma Poutsma. Schulting could also figure.

Liu bids for third gold in Milan

The men’s 500m was won in Beijing 2022 by Liu Shaoang (HUN). This was an historic achievement: Liu, alongside his brother Shaolin, had helped win Hungary’s first ever Winter Olympic gold medal in 2018 when the pair combined to scoop relay gold. In Beijing, Shaoang grabbed Hungary’s first ever individual Winter Olympic gold. Both brothers go again at Milano Cortina, although they are now competing for China, having switched nations following Beijing 2022.

Liu Shaoang has changed allegiance from Hungary to China since Beijing 2022 but his goal remains Olympic gold © ISU

The Men’s 1000m was won last time by Ren Ziwei (CHN), sending the home crowd wild as he pipped Li Wenlong and Liu Shaoang to gold. Ziwei is not attending Milano Cortina.

Hwang Daeheon (KOR) won the men’s 1500m. A robust racer with a great record at World Championship and World Cup level, Hwang had seized a silver medal at PyeongChang 2018 in the 500m. But Beijing was his finest hour as he held off a thundering Steven Dubois (CAN) for the top prize. He is back to defend his title in Italy.

The men’s 5000m relay gold medalists were Canada. It was a valiant team effort from an ever-improving squad who have now gone on to become Short Track’s no.1 nation, winning the ISU Team Crystal Globe for two years running. In Beijing, they gave the great Charles Hamelin a proper send-off as he retired with his fourth Olympic gold.

There was much excitement in Beijing about the new race for their Olympics: the 2000m Mixed Relay. The home nation delighted the crowd by winning it – Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin, Wu Dajing and Ren Ziwei combined to defeat Italy and Hungary.

Don’t miss the latest updates on the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 HERE