Multinational Prospects Fostered by Pyeongchan
Youth Olympics Multinational Prospects Fostered by Pyeongchang… First Appearance and Medal, New History
Four people won three gold medals, and there were also athletes competing in ice speed and short track at the same time... Next-generation winter sports star stands out
At the 2024 Gangwon Games, the first Winter Youth Olympics held in Asia, promising winter sports athletes from various countries appeared.
In particular, the legacy left behind by the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics held in Gangwon-do six years ago has come to fruition, and athletes from countries considered "barren" have also stood out and attracted attention.
Tunisia, located on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, engraved its name in Winter Olympics history for the first time through the Gangwon Games.
Tunisia, which has participated in the Summer Olympics since the 1960 Rome Games and won gold medals in swimming and track and field, but has never participated in the Winter Olympics, recorded its first participation in the Winter Olympics with the participation of three bobsledders in the Gangwon Games.
Jonathan Rurimi, who competed in the men"s monobob (single-seater), and Sophie Gorbal and Beya Mokrani, who competed in the women"s monobob, are the protagonists of new history.
Since 2020, they have developed their dream of becoming "bobsled athletes" through the winter sports athlete training project for underdeveloped and developing countries, hosted by Korea"s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and Pyeongchang County and organized by the 2018 Pyeongchang Memorial Foundation, and have reached the Olympic stage.
This project, which was implemented to inherit and develop the legacy of the Pyeongchang Olympics, provided athletes from countries with underdeveloped winter sports the opportunity to train in Pyeongchang or compete in international competitions to qualify for Gangwon 2024.
On the 22nd of last month, Gorbal and Mokrani raced at the Alpensia Sliding Center in Pyeongchang, marking Tunisia"s "Winter Olympics debut" even though it was a Youth Olympics.
Then, in the men"s monobob competition on the 23rd, Rurimi won the silver medal following Korea"s Soh Jae-hwan (Sangji Daegwallyeong High School), becoming Tunisia"s first Winter Olympics medalist.
He has a bigger dream, saying, “I want to work hard and participate in the real Winter Olympics in 2026 or 2030.”
Including them, 25 athletes from 9 countries (Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia, Singapore, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya, and Tunisia) and 6 sports (bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, short track, alpine skiing, and cross-country skiing) participated in the Pyeongchang Games.
We participated in Gangwon 2024 through the ‘Legacy’ project.
In the women"s monobob, Thailand"s Kampeol Agnes won the silver medal, standing tall as Thailand"s first-ever Winter Olympics medalist among both adults and youth.
In Thailand, where there were no winter training grounds, including a bobsled track, Campheol could only do sprints and weight training, but with the support of this project, she was able to hone her skills by traveling back and forth to Korea.
After winning the medal, he expressed his gratitude, saying, “The Pyeongchang Heritage Foundation’s programs supported us.”
Here, several athletes from winter sports powerhouses received the honor of winning multiple awards and presented themselves as next-generation stars.
In this competition, four people won three gold medals.
Two people came from speed skating, one person from biathlon, and one person from alpine skiing.
In particular, Dutch speed skating"s Angel Dahlemann, who won the women"s 500m and 1,500m speed skating events as well as the mass start event and won a bronze medal in the mixed relay, also attracted attention by participating in the short track event.
Although he did not win a prize in the short track race, he proved to be a top prospect for the Netherlands, a ‘powerhouse on ice.’
Finn Sonnekalp of German speed skating also showed off his presence as a future ace by winning the men"s 500m, 1,500m, and mass start races.
French biathlon"s Antonin won gold medals in the men"s 7.5km sprint, men"s individual 12.5km, mixed relay 6km (women) + 7.5km (men) and silver medals in the mixed relay 4x6km.
Austrian women"s alpine skiing"s Maya Barosic also shined at the competition by winning three gold medals in the women"s slalom, alpine combined, and team mixed parallel events.