Park Ji-won was the first to pass the finish line with a time of 1:24.865 in the men's 1,000m final of the first round of short track competition for the national short track team in the 2024-25 season at Mokdong Ice Rink in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 7th.
Park Ji-won, who scored 34 points in first place in the 1,000m, added 21 points earned in second place in the 1,500m and finished the first round with 55 points.
Park Ji-won, who tied the game with Kim Gun-woo, who ranked first in the 1,500m and second in the 500m, marked the first place in the rankings considering detailed performances and earned the right to advance to the second round of selection where the top 24 players can play.
The second round of selection will be held at the same place from the 11th to the 12th, and the final national team will be determined by the total score of 500m, 1000m and 1500m.
For Park Ji-won, the selection of the national team for the next season is very important.
Park Ji-won, who is no longer able to postpone her military service at the age of 29 next year, must solve the military service problem by winning a gold medal at the Winter Asian Games in Harbin, China, next year. If the selection of the national team fails, it is difficult to guarantee that she will participate in the Milan-Cortina-Dampezzo Winter Olympics in 2026.
It is no exaggeration to say that Park's career is at stake for Park Ji-won, who missed the opportunity to "automatic boarding" due to consecutive conflicts with Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Government) of the national team despite winning the overall World Cup title for two consecutive seasons.
In order for Park Ji-won to compete in the individual competition at the Asian Games, the final performance of the selection match must be within the top three.
Hwang Dae-heon, who caused controversy over "Team Kill" by colliding with Park Ji-won several times at international competitions in the 2023-24 season, was disqualified for a foul in the 1,000m preliminary round.
Hwang Dae-heon collided when Park No-won (Hwaseong City Hall), who was at the back of the line, tried to overtake him on the in-course, and Park No-won was pushed back.
Hwang Dae-heon crossed the finish line in second place, but the result of the decision was disqualified.
Hwang Dae-heon also expressed his sorry by holding Park Roh-won's hand immediately after the game.
Hwang also came under fire in the 500m semifinal match held on the previous day when he collided with Park Ji-won. However, Hwang was not found guilty of a foul in the match, and Hwang earned five points in the fifth place in the 500m to qualify for the second round of selection.
In the women's division, Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), the "return ace," topped the 1,000m.
Choi Min-jeong, who ranked fifth in the 1,500m and third in the 500m, took the top spot with ease by showing off her overwhelming skills in the 1,000m.
Choi Min-jeong, who acquired 52 points overall in the first round, marked second after Shim Suk-hee (73 points). Shim ranked first in both the 1,500-meter and 500-meter races.
In the case of the women's team, Kim Ki-li (Seongnam City Hall), who won the gold medal at the world championships, will automatically board and only the top two can compete individually.
