ISU

 Kim Gilli (KOR) competes during the ISU World Cup Short Track in Dresden (GER) @ISU

Kim leads the charge for new Korean Short Track generation

Kim Gilli (KOR) recently made a YouTube video for a Korean fan channel in which she declared

Suzanne, I am coming!

The 18-year-old was referring, of course, to multiple World and Olympic gold medalist Suzanne Schulting (NED), who recently lifted the first ever ISU Crystal Globe as the top performer in the 2022/23 overall World Classification.

But Kim has enjoyed a standout season too, and has every reason to be bullish about matching the sport’s finest competitors as the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships head to Seoul, Republic of Korea, this March.

She won two individual golds at the ISU World Junior Short Track Championships at the end of January, and has two more at senior World Cup level. Fast, possessing incredible technique and the bulletproof self-confidence and daring of youth, Kim has the skillset to make Schulting and company look over their shoulders.

This is the first season for me to compete against the senior skaters, and it has gone very well

Anna Seidel (GER), Kim Gilli (KOR) and Suk Hee Shim (KOR) pose during the ISU World Cup Short Track 2023 in Dresden (GER) @ISU

I have enjoyed it a lot. I feel very good. It is an awesome feeling to go up against the stars. I believe I can do well at this level and beat the best. I can do more and more in Short Track.

For Kim, that mission starts on home ice.

I want to get first place in the Worlds,” she said. “It will be a very big, exciting event for us. I want to beat everyone, to beat the best, to beat Suzanne.

Winning medals at the World Juniors was a great experience. The results were perfect and they made me full of belief.

I have very good balance and I’m very fit and in good shape. I’m strong and fast. I have good technique, and I’m strong in the mind. I have lots of strong points.

I’m also always looking to get better and always ask my team and trainers how to improve. I want to learn all the time.

She doesn’t have to look very far to source a model mentor. Kim has formed a particularly strong bond with her four-time World Champion teammate, Choi Min Jeong (KOR).

Gilli Kim (KOR) and Min Jeong Choi (KOR) compete during the 2022 ISU World Cup Short Track in Montreal (CAN) @ISU

She is an amazing racer. She is like a big sister to me and I ask her lots of questions about this sport and how to get better at it. She knows so much and is one of Korea’s best ever. It is so great to be on a team with her.

Choi returns the compliment.

Gilli is very talented. At the moment, she is young, but once she gets more experience, she can be a great skater. She always asks me for advice. I really hope she will become another great Korean.

Schulting has noticed, too.

Gilli is doing a really great job and it is a great thing for the competition

Minjeong Choi (KOR), Suzanne Schulting (NED) and Gilli Kim (KOR) pose during the ISU World Cup in Montreal (CAN) @ISU

The world No.1 said:

It’s nice to have these new skaters coming up and it’s good for everyone in the sport.

For both newcomers and legends, the stage is set for an extraordinary event.