Kim Yoon-ji Wins Paralympic Gold Medal
- Joanne Lee
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
Mar 9, 2026
Joanne Lee
On the 8th (local time), at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Italy, Korean Paralympic national team athlete Kim Yoon-ji won the gold medal in the women’s sitting biathlon 12.5 km sprint. With this victory, she became the first Korean woman in history to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Paralympics.
The 12.5 km biathlon race combines cross-country skiing and shooting. Athletes stop four times to shoot five bullets at targets, and a one-minute penalty is added to their time for every missed shot.
Kim Yoon-ji finished the race with a time of 38 minutes and 0.1 seconds, defeating Germany’s top contender Anja Wicker, who recorded 38 minutes and 12 seconds. In an interview after the race, Kim Yoon-ji said she did not expect to win the gold medal but felt proud that South Korea was able to win a medal at the Winter Paralympics.
This gold medal is especially meaningful because South Korea had not won a cross-country skiing medal since 2018. Kim Yoon-ji broke this long drought and delivered a gold medal to her country. Although this was her first Paralympic appearance, she has already established herself as an outstanding athlete by winning a medal.
