Chun Lee-kyung

Chun Lee-kyung

Personal information
Born	(1976-01-06) January 6, 1976 (age 48)
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	58 kg (128 lb; 9.1 st)
Sport
Country	South Korea
Sport	Speed skating
Retired	1998
World championship wins	1995 Overall 1996 Overall 1997 Overall
Medal record Women's short-track speed skating Representing  South Korea Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 0 1 World Championships 9 11 3 World Team Championships 4 2 0 Olympic Games 1998 Nagano 1000 m 1998 Nagano 3000 m relay 1994 Lillehammer 1000 m 1994 Lillehammer 3000 m relay 1998 Nagano 500 m World Championships 1995 Gjøvik 1500 m 1995 Gjøvik 3000 m 1995 Gjøvik Overall 1996 The Hague 1500 m 1996 The Hague Overall 1997 Nagano 1500 m 1997 Nagano 3000 m 1997 Nagano Overall 1998 Vienna 3000 m 1993 Beijing 1500 m 1993 Beijing 3000 m 1993 Beijing Overall 1995 Gjovik 1000 m 1995 Gjovik 3000 m relay 1996 The Hague 1000 m 1996 The Hague 3000 m 1997 Nagano 3000 m relay 1998 Vienna 1000 m 1998 Vienna Overall 1998 Vienna 3000 m relay 1993 Beijing 3000 m relay 1994 Guildford 3000 m relay 1997 Nagano 1000 m World Team Championships 1992 Nobeyama Team 1995 Zoetermeer Team 1996 Lake Placid Team 1997 Seoul Team 1994 Cambridge Team 1998 Bormio Team Asian Winter Games 1996 Harbin 1000 m 1990 Sapporo 3000 m relay 1996 Harbin 1500 m 1990 Sapporo 1000 m 1996 Harbin 3000 m

Chun Lee-kyung (Korean: 전이경; Hanja: 全利卿; born January 6, 1976, in Okcheon, Chungcheongbuk-do) is a retired South Korean short track speed skater. She is a four-time Olympic Champion^[1] and three-time Overall World Champion for 1995–1997. She was a dominant force in International Short Track Speed Skating during the mid-1990s.

Chun took part in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, at the age of 15, but failed to win much attention. In 1994, however, Chun won two gold medals at the Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games. She won the women's 1000 m final, defeating the reigning World Champion Nathalie Lambert and former World Champion Kim So-hee, and was part of the team that won the 3000 m relay in a world record time along with Kim.

Between 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, Chun won the Overall World Championship three times in a row, in 1995, 1996 and 1997 (becoming the second person to have won three consecutive Overall World Championships). She shared the 1997 title though with Yang Yang (A), her most significant career rival. She also won the Overall World Cup title for 1997–1998 season.

In 1998, at the Nagano Winter Olympics, Chun successfully defended both of her Olympic titles, by defeating China's Yang Yang (A) and Yang Yang (S) in the 1000 m final after trailing for most of the race. Yang Yang (A) crossed the line together with Chun in what was ruled and reviewed as a photo finish, but was then disqualified for cross tracking Chun at the very end as Chun tried to pass on the inside (although the photo finish seemed to show Chun having defeated her for the gold regardless). She led the relay team to another Olympic victory with world record time, completing the first "double-double" in Olympic short track history. She also added a 5th Olympic medal, a surprising bronze in the 500 metres, her weakest event and which she had never won a World Championship medal in. She was advanced to the bronze after winning the B final, due to a major fall in the A final leading to the disqualification of Isabelle Charest, and the refusal to finish of Wang Chunlu. She became the first quadruple Olympic Champion in Short Track Speed Skating and the first one from Korea. One month later at the 1998 World Championships, her final major international meet, Chun won 4 medals including her 3rd title at 3000 metres, but was still narrowly denied a 4th consecutive Overall World Championship by Yang Yang (A) (the 2nd of Yang Yang (A)'s own 6 consecutive titles, after having tied Chun for the 97 title). The key event to the final overall result was the 1000 metres, where just as in Nagano Chun and Yang Yang (A) crossed in a virtual dead heat over the distance, but this time with Yang emerging the victor and getting the crucial 1st place points to the overall title with it. This provided the final chapter to the intense rivalry of the 2 all-time greats, as Chun would retire immediately after the meet.

In 2002, Chun was elected to the Athletes' Committee of the International Olympic Committee.^[2]

References