Lee Sang-hwa

Personal information

Born

25 February 1989 (age 28)

Height

1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)

Weight

62 kg (137 lb)

Sport

Country

South Korea

Sport

Speed skating

Medal record

Olympic Games
	2010 Vancouver	500 m
	2014 Sochi	500 m
World Sprint Championships
	2010 Obihiro	Women
	2013 Salt Lake City	Women
World Single Distance Championships
	2012 Heerenveen	500 m
	2013 Sochi	500 m
	2016 Kolomna	500 m
	2011 Inzell	500 m
	2017 Gangneung	500 m
	2005 Inzell	500 m
	2009 Vancouver	500 m
World Junior Championships
	2005 Seinäjoki	All Around
Winter Universiade
	2007 Torino	500 m
	2009 Harbin	500 m
	2009 Harbin	100 m
Asian Winter Games
	2007 Changchun	500 m
	2011 Astana-Almaty	500 m
	2007 Changchun	100 m

Lee Sang-hwa (Korean: 이상화, Hanja: 李相花, Korean pronunciation: [i.saŋ.ɦwa]; born 25 February 1989) is a South Korean speed skater who specialises in the sprint distances. She is a two-time Olympic champion in 500 metres (2010 and 2014) and the 2010 World Sprint champion. She is the current world record holder in women's 500 metres with the time of 36.36 seconds set in Salt Lake City on 16 November 2013, and also holds the South Korean record on 1000 metres. She has also won three World Championships medals in 500 metres, and has placed in the top three in World Cup events four times in this distance. Her first World Cup victory, however, came on the non-Olympic distance 100 metres. On the 1000 metres, however, she has never placed higher than fifth in international events (2010 World Sprint Championships, first 1000 metres).

Lee Sang-hwa was born in 1989 to Lee U-geun (father), a technician at Hwigyeong Girls' School, and Kim In-sun (mother). Lee has an older brother, Lee Sang-jun, who used to be a skater, too. Influenced by her brother, she started skating when she was in first grade at Eunseok Elementary School. Although her brother excelled at skating, and won a skating competition held in his elementary school, Lee appeared to have more talent for skating than him. Since their parents could not afford to support the extra activity of both children, only she continued skating.

Lee is remembered by her school teachers as a smart and active student. Lee and Mo Tae-bum, gold medalist at Vancouver 2010, are close friends since their elementary school period. Along with him, Lee is currently attending Korea National Sport University.

Lee first competed internationally aged 14 in Canada, where she skated several test races in October 2003, winning comfortably and skating with a best time of 39.02 seconds. At the time, the U19 world record was 38.53. Her first ISU championship was in Roseville, Minnesota, during the 2004 World Junior Championships. As the youngest participant, she finished 16th, though she took third place on the 500 metres, 0.45 seconds behind world junior record holder Shannon Rempel.

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