Kim Yun-ji wins four medals, first Korean woman to win Winter Paralympics gold

South Korea’s Kim Yun-ji won four medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, including a gold in the women’s biathlon 12.5-kilometer event. The 19-year-old athlete was competing in her Paralympic debut and became the first Korean woman to win a Winter Paralympics gold.

In addition to her gold, Kim earned three silver medals in other events: cross-country skiing sprint, cross-country interval start, and biathlon women’s sprint pursuit in a seated category. Officials have highlighted her rapid rise in multiple disciplines across the Games.

With the Paralympics continuing, Kim is slated to compete in the cross-country skiing 20-kilometer interval-start race on the 15th. Her performance has been one of the standout stories for South Korea at these Games, underscoring broad national support for Paralympic athletes.

President Lee Jae-myung publicly congratulated Kim on Facebook on February 14, calling her achievement “a new history” for winning the most medals in a single individual event and praising her for a fourth medal, noting the surprise of her Paralympic debut. He encouraged her to deliver another strong performance in the upcoming event.

The president also acknowledged South Korea’s wheelchair curling mixed four-person team, which finished fourth, urging continued support and applause for the athletes who represented the country in a highly competitive field.

These results reflect South Korea’s growing presence in Winter Paralympics competition, an arena where the United States and other nations closely watch for both athletic excellence and advances in adaptive sports technology. For U.S. readers, the performance journey of Kim Yun-ji highlights potential collaboration opportunities in sports equipment, prosthetics, and inclusive design, as well as the broader role of Paralympic sports in international prestige and diplomacy.

Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo hosts the Winter Paralympics in Italy, alongside the Winter Olympics, with venues across Milan and the Cortina d’Ampezzo area. The Games spotlight elite athletes with disabilities competing in winter disciplines, drawing global attention to training programs, funding, and policy choices that influence sport, industry, and international relations.