Hwang Dae-heon caps off memorable 2nd Olympics with relay silver

South Korean short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon ended his second Winter Olympics on Wednesday with his second medal in Beijing, doubling the total from his debut four years ago.

Hwang helped South Korea to the silver medal behind Canada in the men’s 5,000m relay at Capital Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, exactly a week after grabbing his first career gold in the 1,500m. At PyeongChang 2018, Hwang had won silver in the 500m.

Hwang Dae-heon of South Korea (C) competes in the men’s 5,000m relay in short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Feb. 16, 2022. (Yonhap)

In his first race, the mixed team relay, Hwang helplessly watched as his teammate Park Jang-hyuk fell with three laps left and knocked South Korea out of the quarterfinals.

Hwang became a central figure in an officiating controversy after his next event, the men’s 1,000m. He was disqualified from the semifinals for an illegal passing causing contact with another skater, a decision that left many South Korean fans and officials up in arms.

Amid the noise surrounding the fairness of refereeing, Hwang kept his head down and worked. He captured his first career gold in the 1,500m. Though he was penalized in the 500m semifinals — with an obvious violation that left no room for any controversy — Hwang had a clean race to lift South Korea to its first relay gold since 2006.

And the whole debacle from Hwang’s 1,000m will go down as a footnote to what has otherwise been a wildly successful Olympics.

Hwang came up short in a bid to become the first South Korean male short tracker to win at least two gold medals at a single Winter Olympics since Lee Jung-su at Vancouver 2010.

Still just 22, Hwang is a prime candidate to keep adding to his medal tally and to take another shot at becoming a multiple champion in 2026.