Promised fulfilled: Gilli goes 5-for-5 in short track

As the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games concluded on Thursday, January 23, the legendary ice rink of the 2006 Winter Olympics, Palavela, delivered one last afternoon of short track speed skating excitement.

Korean sensation Gilli Kim, a 20-year-old student from Korea University – Sejong Campus, fulfilled her bold pre-Games promise to win every event she entered thanks to triumphs in the women’s individual 1000 m and 3000 m relay finals, giving her five gold medals in the capital of Piemonte. “I’m very happy to have achieved my personal goal and thrilled we won gold as a team in the last race,” said Gilli.

The 1000 final was a riveting battle, with Gilli (1:31.559) crossing the finish line just ahead of teammate Seo Whimin (1:31.709), who herself narrowly edged out China’s Hao Weiying (1:31.819) for silver.

Also from Korea University – Sejong Campus, Whimin, 22, matched Gilli’s five medals in as many events in Torino with two golds, two silvers and one bronze.

In the men’s 1000, Korea was even more dominant with a podium sweep. Kim Taesung, a 23-year-old from Dankook University-cheonan campus, claimed his fourth gold of the competition in 1:29.377, followed by Bae Seochan (1:29.699) and Lee Donghyun (1:29.726).

After securing a remarkable 16 short track podiums – including seven titles – in nine events at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games, Korea managed to do even better in 2025 with 17 medals, eight of them gold.

Relays to remember!

Following tradition, the short track competition ended with the always entertaining women’s 3000 and men’s 5000 relays.

On the women’s side, Korea (4:15.323) took the early lead and kept it until the end. China (4:16.389) was not far behind, with France taking bronze (4:19.184).

“These FISU World University Games will be my last, so I wanted to get better results. And I think it’s even better because I was able to bond with my teammates. I’m glad that we all got good results,” commented Kim Geonhee, a 24-year-old member of the winning team from Kyung Hee Cyber University.

The men’s relay delivered incredible skating but also a bit of drama behind the scenes. Team China faced tense moments after misplacing its equipment but, in the end, recovered to deliver a stellar performance and break Korea’s stronghold on gold medals in Torino.

Despite the stress, the Chinese (6:57.044) emerged victorious, narrowly beating Japan (6:57.327) by 0.283 seconds. Kazakhstan (7:03.776) secured bronze, while the Koreans (7:06.711) settled for a distant fourth-place finish.

“We had to try and relax ourselves [before stepping onto the ice], prepare and do our best, trust our coach, trust each other and trust all our training that we had done before,” said winner Li Kun from Beijing Sport University.

Off to get some well-deserved rest

After three days of intense competition, short track speed skaters are ready for some well-earned rest.

“We’re going to sleep well, take a good break, and prepare for the next [part of the] season,” said men’s relay gold medallist Zhu Yiding, also from Beijing Sport University.

With the Torino 2025 closing ceremony a few hours ahead, however, the young student-athletes planned to celebrate their achievements first. “I think we’ll eat something delicious, take pictures, and enjoy the closing ceremony,” said Seo Whimin, the five-time medallist from Korea.

The Torino 2025 FISU World University Games took place from 13-23 January. Watch all the replays on fisu.tv.

Written by Veronica Garcia Sanchez, FISU Young Reporter, Mexico

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.