Park Ji-won (28-Seoul City Hall) took first place in the men's 1500 meters final with a time of 2:15.759 at the second round of the 2024-2025 short track national team selection trials at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday. The top eight athletes will be selected for next season's national team based on a combination of ranking points from the first round of selection events held from May 5-7, and Park's victory moved him to the top of the rankings (89 points). She will make the team regardless of the outcome of the 1000 meters on Wednesday. She also secured the top three individual berths to the international competition.
Park Ji-won did not have a satisfactory performance in the first round of qualification as she clashed with Hwang Dae-heon (25-Gangwon Provincial Office). She did not make the final after colliding with Hwang in the semifinals of the 500 meters. The two clashed again at the World Cup and World Championships last season, leading to suspicions that Hwang was deliberately trying to keep Park Ji-won in check. The two were also in the same heat in the 1500m semifinals that day, 안전놀이터 추천 but there was no collision. Park Ji-won finished first, while Hwang Dae-heon finished third. Hwang had the fastest time among the top three finishers in their respective groups, which earned him a spot in the final. In the final, Park Ji-won won in dominant fashion, while Hwang Dae-heon was unable to do much and finished fifth out of seven.
In the 500-meter race that followed, neither athlete was smiling. Park Ji-won finished fourth in the quarterfinals and was eliminated, while Hwang Dae-heon made it to the final and finished second behind Jang Sung-woo (Korea University), but was disqualified. Hwang was disqualified for failing to give way to Park Jang-hyuk (Sports Betting) at the end of the main straight while passing him on the in-course. Park Jang-hyuk finished third behind Hwang Dae-heon and moved up to second. Hwang Dae-heon was still fighting for position shortly after the start and collided with Kim Tae-sung (Seoul Metropolitan Government). Hwang was trying to pass Kim Tae-sung from the outside and appeared to grab Kim's leg with his hand. Kim lost his balance and was pushed into the fence and out of the race. After earning just five ranking points (fifth place in the 1500m), Hwang is currently ranked ninth overall. His place on the team will depend on the outcome of his 1000m race on Wednesday. Even if he makes the team, it will be difficult for him to compete individually.
On the women's side, "returning ace" Choi Min-jung (26-Seongnam City Hall) won the 500 meters. She hadn't competed internationally for a year after withdrawing from the national team trials last season due to illness. She marked her return with a first-place finish in the 1000 meters at the first selection round and was the first to cross the line in the 500 meters on the same day. Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) won the 1500 meters. Current ranking leaders Shim Seok-hee (100 points-Seoul City Hall) and Choi Min-jung (91 points) both qualified for the team regardless of their 1000m results.