[PyeongChang 2018] S. Korea wins second straight silver in men’s team pursuit

Published : Feb 21, 2018 - 22:35 Updated : Feb 21, 2018 - 22:50

South Korea grasped the silver medal in the men’s speed skating team pursuit event on Wednesday, marking the country’s third silver medal and ninth medal in total in this year’s Winter Games.

Lee Seung-Hoon, Chung Jae-won and Kim Min Seok of South Korea on Wednesday win gold medal in the men's team pursuit event held at Gangneung Oval, Gangneung. (Yonhap)

The four-member team consisting of Lee Seung-hoon, Kim Min-seok, Chung Jae-won, and Joo Hyong-jun timed 3:38.52 at Gangneung Oval in the eastern sub-host city of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The team was led by veteran Lee and followed by Kim and Chung, while Joo stood by on the bench during the eight-lap race.

The gold medal went to Norway, which raced 1.2 seconds ahead, while Netherlands won its bronze medal in a separate runoff against New Zealand.

This was Team Korea’s second straight silver in the three-on-three men’s team pursuit. Back in 2014 in Russia’s Sochi, South Korea had won silver, defeated by Netherlands.

The three-member team of Lee, Kim and Chung previously passed the quaterfinal by finishing the race at a leading record of 3:39.29, outrunning all seven competitors in the event.

The team pursuit first became an official Olympics event in 2006, and South Korea made its first appearance in 2010.

By Bae Hyun-jung and news reports (tellme@heraldcorp.com)