The year she turned 16, she finished second overall in the women’s division of the national team trials and joined the national team for the first time. In November, at World Cup stop 1 in Salt Lake City, United States, she made her senior debut and won silver in the 1000m and gold in the 3000m relay.
The breakthrough yearIn February, she received the rookie award at the Coca-Cola Sports Awards. The year she turned 17, she competed in her first World Championships, in Moscow, Russia, and won the overall title.
In 2016, she won a second straight overall title at the World Championships at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul. In February 2017, she graduated from Seohyeon High School and joined Seongnam City Hall, and that month she won medals in all four events at the Sapporo Asian Winter Games, including gold in the 1500m. At the World Championships in March, she was disqualified in the 500m and 1000m and dropped to sixth overall.
In February 2018, at her first Olympics, in PyeongChang, she won gold in the 1500m and the 3000m relay after being disqualified in the 500m. A month later, she won four golds at the World Championships and took back the overall title after two years.
In 2019, she won 1500m gold and 1000m silver at the World Championships. In 2020, she won the 1500m at World Cup stop 5, her first World Cup gold since returning from injury. In 2021, she won the 1000m at the World Cup in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
In 2022, she won silver in the 1000m and the 3000m relay at the Beijing Olympics, then added gold in the 1500m for a second straight Olympic title in the event. In April, she won four golds at the World Championships and took back the overall title after four years.
In 2023, she did not enter the national team trials, saying she would change her equipment and work on new techniques. In April 2024, she finished first overall at the trials and returned to the national team, and in December she received the Proud Yonsei Athlete Award.
In February 2025, she became the first Korean woman to win three golds at the Asian Winter Games, in Harbin, and in March she secured a berth at the Milan Olympics with 1500m gold at the World Championships. In 2026, at the Milan–Cortina Olympics, she won relay gold for her fourth career gold and 1500m silver for her seventh medal, a record for a Korean athlete at the Olympics, and announced it was her last Olympics. She plans to leave the national team after next year’s World Championships in Seoul.
Choi Min-jeong (born Sep 9, 1998) made her senior debut on Nov 9, 2014, the year she turned 16, at World Cup stop 1 in short track, and became known in 2015, the year she turned 17, when she won the overall title at her first World Championships. In 2026, her seventh Olympic medal set a record for a Korean athlete, and she said it was her last Olympics.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
While at Seohyeon High School, finished second overall in the women’s division of the national team trials and joined the national team for the first time.
Source 29 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Beyond “queen” of short track, a legend · opens in a new tab The article does not give the trial dates, so only the year is shown.Won silver in the women’s 1000m and gold in the 3000m relay at stop 1 of the 2014–15 World Cup in Salt Lake City, United States. It was her first season at the senior level.
Source 01 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Senior debut season, World Cup stop 1 · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · World Cup stop 1 date · opens in a new tabReceived the rookie award, together with the shooter Kim Cheong-yong.
Source 03 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Coca-Cola Sports Awards rookie award · opens in a new tabCompeting in her first World Championships, in Moscow, Russia, in her first senior season, won the women’s 1000m for her first individual gold and took the overall title.
Won the women’s 1000m in 1:31.933 at the World Championships at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul and kept her overall title.
Source 06 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Second straight World Championships title in 2016 · opens in a new tabGraduated from Seohyeon High School and joined Seongnam City Hall. At the Sapporo Asian Winter Games, her first meet after joining, she won medals in all four events.
Source 08 · Kiho Ilbo (Korean) · Joins Seongnam City Hall · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Maeil Ilbo (Korean) · Four medals at the Sapporo Asian Winter Games for Seongnam City Hall · opens in a new tabFinished first in the women’s 1500m final at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, for the gold medal.
Source 09 · News1 (Korean) · Sapporo Asian Winter Games 1500m gold · opens in a new tabWas disqualified in both the 500m and the 1000m at the World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and dropped to sixth overall.
Source 10 · KBS (Korean) · Disqualified at the 2017 World Championships · opens in a new tabWon the women’s 1500m final at the Gangneung Ice Arena in 2:24.948 for the gold medal. Four days earlier she had been disqualified in the 500m final.
Source 11 · Newsis (Korean) · Choi Min-jeong, women’s 1500m short track gold · opens in a new tabSkated the women’s relay with Shim Suk-hee, Kim A-lang and Kim Ye-jin and won gold in 4:07.361, her second gold of the Games.
Source 12 · Kiho Ilbo (Korean) · PyeongChang Olympics relay gold, two golds at the Games · opens in a new tabWon the 3000m super final and the relay on the last day of the World Championships in Montreal, Canada, for four golds at the meet, and took back the overall title for the first time since 2016.
Source 13 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · Four golds at the 2018 World Championships · opens in a new tabWon gold in the women’s 1500m and silver in the 1000m at the World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Source 14 · Maeil Shinmun (Korean) · 2019 World Championships 1500m gold · opens in a new tabSource 15 · Maeil Business (Korean) · 2019 World Championships 1000m · opens in a new tabAfter an injury-hit slump in 2019–20 left her without an individual gold at stops 1 to 4, won the women’s 1500m at stop 5 in Dresden, Germany, her first World Cup gold since returning from injury.
Source 16 · Sports Donga (Korean) · First gold of the 2020 World Cup season · opens in a new tabWon the women’s 1000m at stop 4 of the 2021–22 World Cup in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
Source 17 · OhmyNews (Korean) · 2021 World Cup 1000m gold · opens in a new tabWon silver in the women’s 1000m final in Beijing, China, in 1:28.443, 0.052 seconds behind Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands.
Source 18 · Edaily (Korean) · Beijing Olympics 1000m silver · opens in a new tabSkated the women’s relay with Kim A-lang, Lee Yu-bin and Seo Whi-min and won silver in 4:03.627.
Source 19 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Beijing Olympics relay silver · opens in a new tabWon the women’s 1500m final in 2:17.789 for the gold medal. It was her second straight Olympic title in the event after PyeongChang in 2018.
Source 20 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · Beijing Olympics 1500m gold, back-to-back titles · opens in a new tabWon the 1500m, the 1000m, the 3000m super final and the relay at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada, for four golds, and took her fourth career overall title after four years.
Source 31 · YTN (Korean) · Choi Min-jeong wins four golds at the Worlds, overall title after four years · opens in a new tabSource 29 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Beyond “queen” of short track, a legend · opens in a new tabDecided not to enter the trials for the 2023–24 national team. Her side said she would use the season for individual training ahead of the Milan–Cortina Olympics, changing all her equipment and working on new techniques.
Source 21 · SBS (Korean) · Gives up national team place for 2023 · opens in a new tabAfter a year away to recharge, finished first overall at the April national team trials and rejoined the national team.
Source 22 · News1 (Korean) · Returns to the national team in 2024 · opens in a new tab The article does not give the trial dates, so only the month is shown.Received the Proud Yonsei Athlete Award from the athletic association of her alma mater, Yonsei University.
Source 23 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · 2024 Proud Yonsei Athlete Award · opens in a new tabWon the women’s 1000m at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, for her third gold of the meet, after the mixed 2000m relay and the women’s 500m. She became the first Korean woman to win three golds at the Asian Winter Games.
Source 24 · News1 (Korean) · Harbin Asian Winter Games 1000m gold, three golds · opens in a new tabSource 29 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Beyond “queen” of short track, a legend · opens in a new tabWon the women’s 1500m in 2:27.136 at the World Championships in Beijing, China, which gave her an automatic 2025–26 national team place and a berth at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics.
Source 25 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2025 World Championships 1500m gold · opens in a new tabSkated the women’s relay with Shim Suk-hee, Kim Gil-li and Noh Do-hee and won gold. It was South Korea’s first Olympic relay title in eight years and her fourth career Olympic gold, tying Chun Lee-kyung for the most Winter Olympic golds by a Korean athlete.
Source 26 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Milan Olympics relay gold · opens in a new tabAdded silver in the women’s 1500m for seven career medals (four gold, three silver), a new record for the most Olympic medals by a Korean athlete. After the race she said this was her last Olympics.
Source 27 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · Milan Olympics 1500m silver, announces retirement from the Olympics · opens in a new tabFinished first overall at the first round of trials, which she said would be her last. She plans to leave the national team after the World Championships in Seoul next March.
Source 28 · SBS (Korean) · Plan to retire from the national team · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2014–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Sep 9, 1998 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1998: the year of the event minus 1998, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.