In 2006, the year he turned 17, he was chosen for the junior national team and won at the World Junior Championships. In 2007, he won 500 m gold at the World Junior Championships again.
In 2008, he wore the national team uniform for the first time and entered a World Cup. In 2009, he was first in the 500 m at the Asian Single Distance Championships and won the 1000 m and 1500 m at the Harbin Winter Universiade.
The breakthrough yearIn 2010, the year he turned 21, he won gold in the men’s 500 m at the Vancouver Olympics, an event in which almost no one had named him a contender. Two days later he added silver in the 1000 m.
In 2011, he won silver at the World Sprint Championships and two silvers at the Winter Asian Games. In 2012, he won bronze at the World Sprint Championships.
In 2013, he won 1000 m silver and 500 m gold at the World Single Distance Championships, and at World Cup round 4 in December he won both the 1000 m and 500 m. In 2014, he went for a second straight 500 m title at the Sochi Olympics and finished fourth.
In 2017, he earned berths in the PyeongChang Olympic 500 m and 1000 m. In 2018, he finished 16th in the PyeongChang Olympic 500 m, and after news of his retirement in March he held a retirement ceremony at Taereung.
In 2019, he appeared as a guest player on JTBC’s The Gentlemen’s League. In 2022, he was an MBC commentator for the Beijing Olympics.
In 2024, he was a contestant in Netflix’s Physical: 100 season 2. In 2025, he joined KBS’s commentary team for the Harbin Asian Winter Games. In January 2026, he appeared in the first broadcast of JTBC’s Yes Man.
Mo Tae-bum (born Feb 15, 1989) won at the World Junior Championships in 2006, the year he turned 17, and became known on Feb 16, 2010, the year he turned 21, when he won gold in the men’s 500 m speed skating at the Vancouver Olympics. He held his retirement ceremony on Mar 26, 2018, the year he turned 29.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.