South Korean · Seoul, South Korea · Born 6 March 1988Lee Seung-hoon is South Korea's most decorated Winter Olympian, a two-time gold medallist across four consecutive Games who became the first Asian man to medal in both the 5,000m and 10,000m.
Lee Seung-hoon's six Olympic medals — including gold in the inaugural men's mass start at Pyeongchang 2018 — make him the most decorated South Korean Winter Olympian of all time, a record built across long-track distances he only began competing in seriously in 2009. The switch proved transformative: at the 2010 Vancouver Games, he stunned the speed skating world by winning gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5,000m, becoming the first Asian man ever to medal in either distance. Lee added a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and reached the pinnacle of his career at the 2018 PyeongChang Games on home soil, winning gold in the inaugural Olympic men's mass start event — becoming the first-ever male Olympic champion in the discipline — and adding a silver in the team pursuit. He extended his podium streak to a fourth consecutive Olympics at Beijing 2022, winning bronze in the mass start. Lee also won gold in the mass start at the 2016 World Single Distance Championships in Kolomna, and added a further mass start silver at the 2025 World Championships in his late thirties, demonstrating remarkable longevity. He announced his retirement from international competition in October 2025 after narrowly missing qualification for a fifth Olympics, finishing his career with six Olympic medals — the most by any South Korean athlete in Winter Games history across any sport — and stated his intention to continue skating and mentor younger athletes.
Being South Korea's most decorated Winter Olympian and the first-ever male Olympic mass start champion
How They Played
Powerful endurance skater excelling in long-distance and mass start events
Lasting Impact
The most decorated South Korean athlete in Winter Olympic history across any sport, credited with expanding the country's speed skating success beyond short track
Career Honours
- 2x Olympic gold (2010 10,000m, 2018 mass start)
- South Korea's most decorated Winter Olympian (6 medals across 4 Games)
- First Asian man to medal in the 5,000m and 10,000m (2010)
- First male Olympic mass start champion (2018)
- World Single Distance Championship gold, mass start (2016)
South Korean Athletes