It’s beyond human comprehension of what the 2024 season holds. Across all sporting avenues, the athletes who have toiled to get this far have set their sights strong at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But that’s not the only event keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, aka Gangwon 2024, has left not just the South Koreans, but the entire globe in high anticipation.

The Gangwon 2024, the winter multi-sport event, has already kicked off on January 19. But since the 2018 Winter Olympics venues will be reused this year, the OGs who have participated may also appear to relive the olden days. In the same vein, two speed skating legends have already graced the South Korean ice skating rink after 6 years of crafting history.

Speed skating legends leave fans teary-eyed with reunion at Gangwon 2024

Lee Sang-hwa and Nao Kodaira have proved that their competitiveness wasn’t defined by reckless wins and no hearts. After the latter broke the former’s winning streak, the world marveled at the gold medalist. But immediately after, the world rallied on seeing both embracing each other, putting a stop to all misconceptions around ego. Now, as both the phenoms reappeared at the Gangwon 2024, IOC Media posted with the caption, “VIDEO NEWS RELEASE 6 years after an iconic moment of recent Olympic history, Olympic champions @speed_sanghwa and @Nao_kodaira reunited at Gangneung Oval, the arena where they competed together in 2018. #Gangwon2024″. 

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the world witnessed the 500-meter world record holder skate with her Japanese counterpart. Lee had clinched gold in the same discipline at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. But Nao Kodaira defended the 500m title in 2018, to shift the reigning champion to silver. The victory moment peaked as Kodaira consoled Lee about missing out on the third straight gold. Let’s see how the legends feel now.

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As the co-head of the organizing committee, Lee is at the ongoing Winter Games. Kodaira appeared as an Athlete Role Model (ARM), selected by the International Skating Union (ISU). But the strong women felt waves of emotion crashing on their hearts’ shore. The former said, “I must have cried every time I’ve seen Nao over the years. As I was walking to the oval today, I tried really hard to keep my emotions in check” while recalling Nao’s noble move.

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Moving on, the latter said, “We didn’t have a chance to go up against each other on the ice after the 2018 Olympics. And now that we’re here, it’s almost like we’re back as competitors. It feels great.” Both wish to get the best out of the Gangwon 2024, thus hoping that the athletes walk home with enlightened minds. The sporting domain isn’t just about winning, but a lot of learning as well.

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