Olympic Champion Kim Gil-li Shares Winter Olympics Stories with SHINee's Minho


Olympic short track speed skating double gold medalist Kim Gil-li recently met with SHINee's Minho to share behind-the-scenes stories from the Winter Olympics.

On the 24th, the YouTube channel 'Choi Minho MINHO' released a video titled 'Meeting Olympic MVP Short Track Double Gold Medalist Kim Gil-li.' In the video, Minho is seen waiting for his guest at a restaurant in Milan, Italy, on the 22nd. He expressed his anticipation, saying, "We were supposed to meet two very special guests, but one of them couldn't make it due to sudden illness, so I'm eagerly waiting for the remaining guest."

When Kim Gil-li arrived at the restaurant, Minho thanked her for appearing despite her busy schedule. Kim, who had just competed in the women's 1500m final the previous day, responded to Minho's question about sleep, saying, "I barely slept. I came in very late last night," revealing her hectic schedule.

Olympic Champion Kim Gil-li Shares Winter Olympics Stories with SHINee's Minho
Minho shared, "I was at the venue yesterday and cheered so loudly," adding, "I've been in Milan for just three days. You won the relay gold on the day I arrived, and another medal yesterday, so I think my energy was passed on to you." Kim laughed and replied, "You're a victory fairy."

In the video, Kim recalled a collision with another athlete during the mixed relay on the 11th. Minho mentioned, "My heart sank during the mixed relay," to which Kim responded, "It's scary when you fall. I hadn't felt such an impact in a long time, and I thought I might have broken a rib," she said humorously. She added, "I even thought, 'Is my Olympics over?'" sharing her feelings at the time.

Olympic Champion Kim Gil-li Shares Winter Olympics Stories with SHINee's Minho
Kim also brought her Olympic medals to the shoot, explaining, "I'm carrying them around because I'm constantly doing interviews." Minho remarked on the weight of the medals and asked if winning them had been her dream since childhood. Kim confirmed, "Yes, I've been preparing for the Olympics since I was young," and shared, "I have a mindset that crying in front of people isn't cool, so I tried to hold back tears. But when I received the award, I couldn't stop crying," revealing the story behind her medal ceremony.

Meanwhile, on the 21st, Kim Gil-li won the gold medal in the 1500m short track final at the 2025 Milan Winter Olympics, defeating 'Queen' Choi Min-jeong and earning the nickname 'Lamborghini.' In her first Olympic appearance, Kim won two golds and one bronze, making her the only Korean athlete to achieve double gold at this event.

Lee Soo-min, Ten Asia Reporter danbilee19@tenasia.co.kr
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