The year she turned 17, she passed the national team trials and made the national team for the first time. In October 2022, she made her senior debut at the first short track World Cup event and won silver in the women’s 1500 m.
In January 2023, she won three titles at the World Junior Championships in Germany, and she also won three titles at the National Winter Sports Festival. In March, she competed at the World Championships in Seoul for the first time as a senior and won her first medal, a relay silver, and she finished fourth overall at that season’s World Cup with 15 medals. In December, she won both women’s 1500 m races at a World Cup event at the same Mokdong Ice Rink.
The breakthrough yearIn February 2024, the year she turned 20, she finished first in the women’s overall World Cup standings with 1,211 ranking points after the last event in Poland, and won her first Crystal Globe. A month later, she won her first individual World Championships gold in the 1500 m in the Netherlands, along with silver in the 1000 m. In November, she followed with 1500 m gold and silver at the first two events of the next World Cup season.
In January 2025, the year she turned 21, she won five titles at the Winter Universiade in Turin, and in February she won mixed relay and women’s 1500 m gold and 500 m silver at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China. The next day, she fell as anchor in the women’s 3000 m relay final and the team missed a medal. In March, she won 1500 m bronze at the World Championships for a second straight year of medals, and in April she finished first in the national team trials to secure her first Olympic place.
In February 2026, the year she turned 22, she competed at her first Olympics in Milan, Italy, and won bronze in the 1000 m for her first Olympic medal. Three days later, she skated the last leg of the 3000 m relay and added gold, then won gold in her main event, the 1500 m, for two golds at the Games. After the Games she was chosen MVP of the Korean team. In June, she held her first solo fan meeting, and in July she donated 10.72 million won, made up of entry fees and her own donation, to support children in Kenya.
Kim Gil-li (born Jul 1, 2004) made her senior debut at a short track World Cup event on Oct 29, 2022, the year she turned 18, and became known in 2024, the year she turned 20, when she won the Crystal Globe as first in the World Cup season standings. In 2026, the year she turned 22, she won two golds and a bronze at her first Olympics.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
While a student at Seohyeon High School, passed the national team trials and was chosen for the women’s national team for the first time, alongside Shim Suk-hee and Choi Min-jeong.
Source 02 · SBS (Korean) · 2021-22 national team selection trials · opens in a new tabMade her senior debut at the first World Cup event of the 2022-23 season in Montreal, Canada. She won silver in the women’s 1500 m behind Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands, and Choi Min-jeong was fourth.
Source 03 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Short track’s youngest, Kim Gil-li · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Kim Gil-li · opens in a new tab Birth date (July 1, 2004) from Wikipedia; not confirmed in news reports.Won the 1500 m, 1000 m and 3000 m relay for three titles.
Source 05 · Sports Today (Korean) · World Championships debut · opens in a new tab The date of the event is not confirmed in news reports. It was held before the World Championships in March.Won gold in the women’s 1000 m, 1500 m and 3000 m relay at the championships in Dresden, Germany, for three titles.
Source 04 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Three golds at the World Junior Championships · opens in a new tab The event ran Jan. 27-29. The articles do not give dates for each race, so the last day is used.Won silver in the women’s 3000 m relay at the World Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, her first World Championships medal. She finished second in Final B of the 1000 m. At that season’s World Cup she won 15 medals (7 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze), fourth overall with 700 points.
Source 05 · Sports Today (Korean) · World Championships debut · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Park Ji-won wins two World Championships titles (Kim Gil-li in the 1000 m) · opens in a new tabWon both women’s 1500 m races at the fourth World Cup event of 2023-24 at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul.
Source 07 · Newsis (Korean) · Sweeps the 1500 m at the World Cup in Seoul · opens in a new tabAfter the sixth event in Gdansk, Poland, she finished first in the women’s overall standings with 1,211 ranking points. She finished 31 points ahead of second-place Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States (1,180). She won seven World Cup golds that season (three in the 1000 m, four in the 1500 m).
Won the women’s 1500 m final at the World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2:21.192 for her first individual World Championships gold. She added a silver in the 1000 m.
Source 09 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · World Championships 1500 m gold · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Xports News (Korean) · On the podium next to Choi Min-jeong · opens in a new tabWon gold and silver in the women’s 1500 m at the first and second events of the season, held in October and November.
Source 11 · Newsis (Korean) · Preview of the short track World Tour event in Mokdong · opens in a new tab The articles give no exact date, so the month of the second event is used.Won five titles at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Two titles at the Harbin Asian Winter Games, silver in the 500 m · opens in a new tab The date of the event is not confirmed in news reports.Won gold in the mixed 2000 m relay, the first medal event of the Games in Harbin, China, then won the women’s 1500 m. She added silver in the women’s 500 m behind Choi Min-jeong.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Two titles at the Harbin Asian Winter Games, silver in the 500 m · opens in a new tabTook the baton as anchor in the women’s 3000 m relay final with Korea in the lead, but made contact with Gong Li of China on the last lap and fell. The team finished fourth and missed out on a medal.
Source 13 · Newsis (Korean) · Kim Gil-li in tears after falling in the relay · opens in a new tabFinished third (2:27.257) behind Choi Min-jeong (2:27.136) in the women’s 1500 m final at the World Championships in Beijing, China, her second straight medal in the event.
Source 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Choi Min-jeong wins World Championships 1500 m, Kim Gil-li third · opens in a new tabFinished first overall with 128 ranking points in the 2025-26 national team trials at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, securing a place in the individual Olympic events for the first time.
Source 15 · SPOTV News (Korean) · First in the national team trials · opens in a new tabFinished third in the women’s 1000 m final in her Olympic debut in Milan, Italy, for her first Olympic medal. She fell in the semifinal after a foul by a Belgian skater but was advanced to the final.
Source 16 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · First medal in her Olympic debut · opens in a new tabSkated the last leg in the women’s relay final with Choi Min-jeong, Shim Suk-hee and Noh Do-hee and passed Italy with two laps to go to secure gold. It was the first Korean women’s relay title at the Olympics since Pyeongchang 2018, eight years earlier.
Source 17 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Relay gold, first title in eight years · opens in a new tabCrossed the line first in 2:32.076 in the women’s 1500 m final, ahead of silver medalist Choi Min-jeong, for her second gold of the Games. Sports Kyunghyang wrote that no Korean skater had won three or more medals at a first Olympics since Shim Suk-hee at Sochi 2014, 12 years earlier. After the Games she was also chosen MVP of the Korean team in a vote by the press corps.
Source 18 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · The era of Kim Gil-li opens · opens in a new tabSource 19 · The Fair News (Korean) · History in her Olympic debut · opens in a new tabSource 20 · Asia Economy (Korean) · Kim Gil-li MVP · opens in a new tabHeld her first solo fan meeting at a studio near Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam District, Seoul. In July she gave 10.72 million won to Compassion Korea, made up of the fan meeting entry fees of 720,000 won and 10 million won of her own donation.
Source 21 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Fan meeting “Gilkkippappa” announced · opens in a new tabSource 22 · Asia Today (Korean) · Donates 10.72 million won to Compassion Korea · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2021–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Jul 1, 2004 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 2004: the year of the event minus 2004, 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.