Lausanne, Switzerland

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Pork belly, deep sleep and the small matter of nine hours’ training per day – these are the ingredients which have turned 20-year-old Korean Kim Gun Woo into one of the most exciting Short Track Speed Skating talents.

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) WCSTSS KAZ 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1070341936

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (KAZ) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

As Korea’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games 500m silver medal winner Hwang Dae Heon told the ISU during February’s World Cup stop in Dresden (GER): “It’s very difficult to be part of this team, you have to train so hard just to be picked.” His compatriot Kim did just that. And having finally been chosen to be a part of the Korean Men’s World Cup squad for the first time this season, the rookie has grabbed his chance and skated off into the distance with it.

Lim Hyo Jun (KOR) Kim Gun Woo (KOR) Hwang Daeheon (KOR) WCSTSS KAZ 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1069783568

Lim Hyo Jun (KOR) Kim Gun Woo (KOR) Hwang Daeheon (KOR) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (KAZ) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Kim has, during the course of the five 2018/19 World Cup season’s events, won four gold, four silver and two bronze medals. He has finished inside the top 10 in 17 of his 19 races and will head to March’s ISU World Short Track Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria as the World Cup 1500m champion and overall world No.2.

“I can’t believe it, it’s pretty cool but very surprising,” Kim said. “At the beginning of the season I did not think I would win so many medals, not at all. I didn’t think about getting to world No.1, I just thought about racing. I just love racing.”

The Seoul resident then poignantly added a final line to this statement, saying: “I just love winning.” And perhaps this is, and has always been, the key factor in his success.

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) WCSTSS KAZ 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1069676588

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) winning at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (KAZ) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Kim is adamant he was no skating protégé blessed with an abundance of natural talent. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

“I was six years old when I started but at first I didn’t really like it,” he said, laughing. “I fell a lot. I did not find it easy. It was really hard. I got a lot of bruises.”

But something about those first experiences stayed with him and even at a young age he had a focus most grown-up mortals dream of.

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) WCSTSS USA 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1060374772

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (USA) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

“When I was 14 I started training six or seven hours per day,” he said. “Before that I skated more for fun but I did think a little bit about doing the World Cups. When I was 17 I started feeling like a professional.”

This turn towards ‘professionalism’ brought a realization with it that “six or seven hours per day” was not going to get him to where he wanted to go.

“Now, I train eight or nine hours per day five days a week,” he revealed. “I get tired but I like that feeling.”

Naturally this grueling routine has two major consequences: a voracious appetite and a need to sleep from dusk way past dawn, whenever he gets the opportunity. But Kim, who exudes a sense of cheerfulness, is far from a robotic athlete interested only in refueling.

“I love eating great food,” he said with a big smile. “My favorite is pork belly and Korean barbeque but also I like trying other food, European food. When I finish the season I will take a month off. I like traveling. I want to come back to Europe. I like the beaches but not the mountains, I want to stay away from the ice.”

Before all of that the tennis fan – he likes watching Korea’s world No.53 Chung Hyeon – is a huge favorite to end his debut year in style. Kim won all three of his final 1500m World Cup races and ended a whopping 14,960 points clear of the rest at the top of the season-long distance standings. A large part of this flurry of success was down to Kim developing a race strategy whereby he flew from the middle of the field, round the outside of the other skaters to the front on the final lap to grab the win.

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) WCSTSS KAZ 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1070341938

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (KAZ) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

The man who finished second to him in the 1500m rankings, Steven Dubois of Canada, revealed at the World Cup in Torino that he is simply not sure how to counter such a move.

“It’s really hard doing what he does,” commented Dubois . “He is so good at it, just super smooth on the outside. It’s hard to beat, really hard to beat.”

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) WCSTSS GER 2019©International Skating Union (ISU) 1126991764

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (GER) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

The laid-back Kim does not seem too bothered by the prospect of his rivals working out his super-tactic, because, while he is hopeful of “winning World Championships medals” in Sofia next month, his mind is already on an even bigger prize.

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) WCSTSS ITA 2019©International Skating Union (ISU) 1128491984

Kim Gun Woo (KOR) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (ITA) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

“The Beijing Olympics are already my focus. I think about it all the time during training,” he said. “Short Track is popular in Korea but I don’t get recognized when I walk in Seoul at the moment but maybe if I win Olympic gold I will.”

In the meantime, follow Kim at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships - Sofia (BUL) in Sofia (BUL) from March 8-10,2019 and keep track on FacebookTwitterInstagram and YouTube.