Lee Seung-hoon won a gold medal in the 10,000 metres, a silver medal in the 5000 meters at the 2010 Winter Olympics, becoming the first and only Asian man ever to achieve these feats, a gold medal in mass-start at the 2018 Winter Olympics, a gold medal in the mass start at the 2016 World Championships in Kolomna, and a bronze medal in mass-start at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
13 Facts About Lee Seung-hoon
2.
Lee Seung-hoon started skating in first grade at Lila Elementary School.
3.
Lee Seung-hoon's parents tried to get their son to give up skating because they could no longer afford the training fee.
4.
Lee Seung-hoon was a short track speed skater at Sinmonk High School and Korea National Sport University, but the competition between skaters was very high.
5.
Lee Seung-hoon was evaluated as a rising rookie but could not surpass Ahn Hyun-Soo and Lee Seung-hoon Ho-Suk.
6.
Lee Seung-hoon faced a wall after not being selected as a national player in the South Korean national competition held in April 2009.
7.
Since Lee Seung-hoon was expected to become one of the national skaters, his frustration over the result could have led him to give up skating.
8.
However, after long consideration, Lee Seung-hoon declared in front of his family that he would switch to long track speed skating.
9.
Lee Seung-hoon assumed he could at least become a candidate in the other genre even though Choi Geun-won was considered the long track speed skater expected to represent South Korea.
10.
Lee Seung-hoon excelled, skating a record of 6 minutes 48 seconds and defeating Choi to become a South Korean national skater.
11.
Lee Seung-hoon has been close friends with gold medalists Mo Tae-bum and Lee Seung-hoon Sang-hwa since they were in grade school.
12.
In speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mo won the gold medal in the men's 500-meter race and took silver in the 1000-meter race, while Lee Seung-hoon Sang-hwa won the women's 500 meters.
13.
Lee Seung-hoon then went on to win the gold medal in the 10000 meter final after Kramer was disqualified for finishing in the wrong lane.