Park Ji Won claims second gold on home soil at Short Track Speed Skating World Championships
BySportsbeat
Updated 12/03/2023 at 14:37 GMT
An entertaining final day of action at the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships in Seoul saw Park Ji Won take gold on home soil. It was his second gold in the space of 24 hours. Elsewhere, the Netherlands won the mixed relay whilst China were victorious in the men's 5000m relay. Stream the 2022-23 winter sports season live on discovery+ and Eurosport.
First place Park Ji Won of South Korea celebrates during the victory ceremony for the Men 1000m during the KB Financial Group ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2023 at Mokdong Ice Rink on March 12, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea
Image credit: Getty Images
Park Ji Won claimed his second gold on home ice on the final day of action at the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships in Seoul on Sunday.
After the South Korean won the 1500m title on Saturday, he continued his stunning form over recent months to take gold in the men's 1000m race.
Staying in the middle of the pack for a significant chunk of the race, he moved to the front with three laps to go and showed no signs of losing his lead to strike gold.
Belgium's Stijn Desmet claimed silver, with Canada's Steven Dubois coming home for bronze.
"I made a promise that I was going to win gold in this distance and so I did. I'm really happy I could live up to my own words," Park said.
"I'm the best out there and I'll try to keep this status for a long time. I know the king's crown weighs heavy, but I'm going to take on this burden and continue to race like nobody has ever done before.
"All the cheering and shouting from the fans has been so loud this weekend. I couldn't hear anything during the races. But I'm very happy I could make them feel this excited."
Elsewhere, China claimed gold in the final men's competition of the event - the 5000m relay.
The Chinese quartet, which featured former Koren skater Lin Xiaojun, took gold ahead of silver medallists Italy, with hosts Korea forced to settle for third.
Lin added: "It's been a while since I've come back to Korea. I was very nervous at first, but the reception I got from all the fans here has been amazing. That gave me a lot of strength to compete here.
"I think my performances have really improved throughout the season. With this experience as well, I've gained more confidence and that's what I'll take away from this competition. I've still got a lot more to show."
Unsurprisingly, the Netherland's recent dominance in the short track world was highlighted by the nation taking gold in the first ever World Championships mixed team relay.
Suzanne Schulting and Xandra Velzeboer, who both won individual gold medals at the Championships, were joined by Teun Boer and Jens van 't Wout to prevail, with China in second and Italy in third.
"For me it's all new and I'm not used to such kinds of nerves. It was really intense," Boer said.
"But when I was skating up front, I finally thought, 'this is where we want to be'. I was then able to accelerate and fire away Jens with my push.
"You just hope for the best, but I know he has that pace. He's been one of the fastest skaters out here.
"It has been a very special debut at the World Championships. Especially when I got introduced to this race, I felt like it was going to be serious business.
"This season has been a roller-coaster ride for me and I'm just really happy to wrap it all up with a world title."
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