The year she turned 12, as a sixth grader, she was picked for the short track national team. In 1992 she competed at the Albertville Olympics and advanced from the women’s 500 m heat. In 1993 she set world records in the 1000 m and 1500 m at the 4th Asia Cup.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 18, she won the women’s 3000 m relay and the 1000 m at the Lillehammer Olympics, two golds at one Games.
In 1995 she won the 1500 m at the Jaca Winter Universiade and the overall title at the World Championships. In 1996 she kept the World Championships overall title. In 1997 she won the 3000 m at the Muju–Jeonju Winter Universiade and a third straight women’s overall title at the World Championships.
The year she turned 22, she won the relay and the 1000 m at the Nagano Olympics, two golds at a second straight Games. With a bronze in the 500 m she left with three medals, and in September she submitted her retirement papers. In 1999 she held her official retirement ceremony.
In 2002 she lost the IOC athletes’ commission election, and in April she was appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
From 2015 she coached skaters in Singapore. In 2018 she entered the Pyeongchang opening ceremony with Singapore’s first Winter Olympic athlete, carried the torch and also worked as a commentator. In 2019 it was reported that she would not renew as head coach of Singapore’s national team.
At the 2026 Milan Olympics, Choi Min-jeong tied her record of four Winter Olympic golds for a South Korean.
Chun Lee-kyung (born 1976) was picked for the short track national team in 1988, the year she turned 12, and became known on Feb 27, 1994, the year she turned 18, when she won the 1000 m at the Lillehammer Olympics to follow the relay with a second gold. At the Nagano Olympics she won her fourth gold in 1998, the year she turned 22.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Took up skating in second grade at Sungui Elementary School, and in 1988, as a sixth grader, joined the national team.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Chun Lee-kyung officially retires · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Winter Universiade profile · opens in a new tab The articles confirm the year; they give no month or day.Competing while a student at Sinbanpo Middle School, she finished second in heat 2 behind Cathy Turner of the United States and advanced to the round of 16.
Source 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Yun-man silver medal · opens in a new tab The article is dated Feb. 19, 1992 (Korean time); the day of the race was not pinned down from it.Yonhap News Agency writes that she set world records in the women’s 1000 m and 1500 m at this event.
Source 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Winter Universiade profile · opens in a new tab The article gives no month or day.With Kim So-hee, Won Hye-kyung and Kim Yun-mi, won in 4:26.64, an Olympic record. The race was held in the early hours of the 23rd, Korean time.
Source 03 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Korea sweeps men’s and women’s short track · opens in a new tabSource 20 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Women’s 3000 m relay team profiles · opens in a new tab The Yonhap News Agency race report spells her teammate’s name “Won Ae-kyung” (Sinbanpo Middle School); Yonhap’s relay team profile the same day gives Won Hye-kyung (元蕙敬, Sinbanpo Middle School), which is used here.Finished first at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, adding a second gold after the relay. She later said she suddenly became a star after these Olympics.
Won the women’s short track 1500 m final at the Games in Spain. She was about to enter Yonsei University.
Source 05 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Korea’s first gold at Jaca, Chun in the 1500 m · opens in a new tabAt the event in Norway she won the 1500 m and the 3000 m, and the 3000 m time of 5:02.18 was a world record.
Source 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · World short track, Chae Ji-hoon takes three golds · opens in a new tab The date follows the article’s statement that the last day’s races ran into the night of the 18th, Korean time.In The Hague, the Netherlands, she took gold in the 1500 m on the first day and added silver in the 1000 m and 3000 m to keep the overall title.
Source 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · World short track, Chun Lee-kyung wins again · opens in a new tabWon the women’s short track 3000 m on the last day of the Games.
Source 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Winter Universiade profile · opens in a new tab The Yonhap News Agency article is dated Feb. 2, 1997; the day of the race was not pinned down from it.At the event in Nagano, Japan, she won the 3000 m on the last day and took a third straight women’s overall title.
Source 08 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · World short track, Kim Dong-sung wins overall · opens in a new tabWith Kim Yun-mi, An Sang-mi and Won Hye-kyung, she beat China to win a second straight Olympic title in the event.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Short track sweeps two golds · opens in a new tabShe placed fifth, then moved up to bronze when skaters ahead of her were disqualified or stopped racing.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Short track bronze by good fortune · opens in a new tabWith four Olympic golds, she had won the most career golds of any South Korean athlete at the time, across Winter and Summer Games. The previous most was three, by the archer Kim Soo-nyung.
Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Most career Olympic golds · opens in a new tabSubmitted the papers citing graduate school and her studies. The union and the national team coach said they could not accept them.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Chun Lee-kyung suddenly submits retirement papers · opens in a new tabHeld her official retirement ceremony at the 80th National Winter Sports Festival at Yongpyong Indoor Ice Rink in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Chun Lee-kyung officially retires · opens in a new tabTen candidates ran, and four were newly elected by votes in the athletes’ village. Chun was not among them.
Source 13 · Financial News (Korean) · Defeated in IOC athletes’ commission election · opens in a new tabThe Korean Olympic Committee said the IOC president named her to the athletes’ commission.
Source 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission · opens in a new tabCalled on by Singapore’s skating community, she began coaching its skaters.
Source 15 · Sports Donga (Korean) · Chun Lee-kyung’s support for Singapore · opens in a new tab The month follows the Sports Donga article; it gives no day.She entered behind Cheyenne Goh, Singapore’s first Winter Olympic athlete, then reappeared with the torch and passed it to the next runner, Inbee Park. She also worked as a TV commentator at the Games.
Source 15 · Sports Donga (Korean) · Chun Lee-kyung’s support for Singapore · opens in a new tabSource 16 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Back at the Olympics after 20 years · opens in a new tabThe Singapore daily The Straits Times reported she would not extend her contract with the Singapore skating federation. She explained that there were differences over skaters’ competition time and priority.
Source 17 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Chun Lee-kyung to leave Singapore coaching post · opens in a new tab The date is that of the report. She says she told the federation of her decision in November 2018.Choi Min-jeong won gold in the women’s 3000 m relay at the Milan Olympics, tying Chun’s four golds as the most by a South Korean at the Winter Olympics.
Source 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Milan relay gold · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1988–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
1976 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1976: the year of the event minus 1976, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.06 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.