For 20-year-old short track speedskater Thomas Hong, competing in his first Olympic Winter Games will be a homecoming.
Hong was born in South Korea but moved to Maryland with his family when he was 4. He returns to compete as a member of Team USA after finishing strong at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Hong was nearly born in an ice rink. His mother went into labor while watching his then 6-year-old sister learn how to skate.
Hong, who helped Team USA set a world record in the men’s 5,000-meter relay at a world cup event last November, started skating when he was 5.
Hong started Olympic Team Trials with seventh- and third-place finishes in the two 1,500-meter finals, followed by fourth- and third-place finishes in the 500-meter finals. He finished seventh in the first 1,000 round, but finished fourth in the second A final. He finished fourth in the overall classification, and clinched a spot on the men’s team.
He drew attention as a short track speedskater almost immediately. He represented Team USA at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Innsbruck 2012 and competed at the 2012-2013 world junior championships. Since then, he has had plenty of other international experiences.
The University of Maryland student’s Olympic dreams first became a legitimate possibility in his mind during the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He was the youngest competitor and finished 11th overall. He also helped the senior men’s 5,000 meter relay earn a bronze medal at an Olympic test event during that season.
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During the 2016-2017 world junior championships, he won a silver medal in the 500-meter and a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter relay.
Hong joins J.R. Celski, John-Henry Krueger, Ryan Pivirotto and Aaron Tran as the five U.S. men’s short track speedskaters competing at the Olympics.
Hong said his favorite speedskating moment was skating at Olympic Team Trials with his idol J.R. Celski, who is competing in his third Olympic Winter Games.
It’s an honor to represent the U.S. at the highest level of sport, Hong said. He’s also proud to compete in the country where he was born, and have his immediate and extended family watch him.
