Born: 23 November 1985

Birthplace: Seoul (South Korea)

Nationality: South Korea

Sport: Skating

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Salt Lake City 2002

Turin 2006

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 3

Bronze: 1

Details

Other results:

World Championships

Gold: 13 (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)

Silver: 5 (02, 03, 05)

Bronze: 1 (2005)

World Team Championships

Gold: 1 (2004, 2006)

Silver: 1 (2003)

Bronze: 1 (2002)

Korea's most titled athlete

Hyun-Soo Ahn began skating at primary school. Although he skated for pleasure, his aim was still to improve all the time. It was watching on television the victories of his compatriots Jee-Hoon Chae and Dong-Sung Kim at the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer and Nagano that Hyun-Soo Ahn thought that he, too, could become a great short-track speed skater.

His first Olympic participation was in 2002 in Salt Lake City. His best performance was a fourth place in the 1,000 metres. During that race, he was caught up in a collective fall on the final bend, which enabled the Australian Bradbury, who had previously been last, to win the most improbable of gold medals. Hyun-Soo was then disqualified from the 1,500 and 5,000 metres team events. Despite leaving Salt Lake City without a medal, he subsequently won four consecutive world championship titles.

By the time he got to the 2006 Games in Turin, the Korean skater was one of the favourites.

The first men's race on the programme of these Games was the 1,500 metres. Hyun-Soo won his heat, the semi-final and the final, ahead of another Korean, Ho-Suk Lee, and China's Jia Jun Li. That was his first Olympic gold medal.

Six days later, Hyun-Soo Ahn competed in the 1,000 metres. Here, again, he dominated the final and took his second Olympic title. It was another one-two for Korea, with a second silver medal for Lee. The bronze was won by the American, Apolo Ohno.

On 25 February, in the men's 5,000 metres relay, South Korea beat Canada and the USA. Partnered by Se-Jong Oh, Ho-Suk Lee, Ho-Jin Seo and Suk-Woo Song, Hyun-Soo Ahn stood on the top step of the podium for the third time at these Games. Forty-five minutes before, he had competed in the final of the 500 metres and suffered his only defeat in Turin, finishing third behind Canada's Fran?ois-Louis Tremblay, the silver medallist, and Olympic champion Apolo Ohno.

With four medals, three of them gold, Hyun-Soo Ahn was the most titled man at the 2006 Olympic Games, and became the short-track speed skater to win the most medals at the same edition of the Games. He is also Korea's most successful athlete at the Olympic Games.