Lee Ye-rim of the Nonsan City Hall team in South Chungcheong Province claimed the women's open division MVP award at the 46th Korea Sports Council President Cup National Inline Speed Skating Competition, which concluded Monday in Nonsan. Lee won gold in her signature events — the 500m+D and 1,000m — defeating Kim Gyeong-seo of the Daegu Metropolitan City Hall team and Park Min-jeong of the Andong City Hall team in North Gyeongsang Province, respectively. She then teamed up with Shim Chae-eun and Seo So-hui to win the 3,000m relay, completing a triple crown that earned her the MVP honor. Lee had previously won the award at the 38th edition of the competition in 2018 while competing in the high school division. This year's recognition marks her second consecutive MVP title at the event, following wins in 2023 and 2025.
The men's open division saw fierce competition, with no single athlete sweeping multiple individual events. Choi Ung-gyu of the Gangneung City Hall team in Gangwon Province finished first in the dual time trial 200m with a time of 17.159 seconds, breaking the previous national record by 0.08 seconds — the first Korean record in the event in seven years. Park Hyeon-ung of the Seo-gu district office team in Busan clocked 1 minute 19.330 seconds in the 1,000m preliminary round, beating the existing mark by 0.513 seconds, then won the final as well. The MVP award, however, went to Lee Gi-won of the Andong City Hall team in North Gyeongsang Province, who won the 500m+D and finished second in the dual time trial 200m. Because MVP criteria prioritize individual event results, Lee's combination of one gold and one silver secured the honor. Lee also won the team dual time trial 2,000m, finishing the competition with two gold medals and one silver.
In the university division, Jo Bi-chan, a third-year student at Hanil Jangshin University in North Jeolla Province, claimed the MVP award after winning both the dual time trial 200m and the 500m+D in competition records. He edged out Lee Mae-min, a second-year student at Gyeongwoon University in North Gyeongsang Province, who won two individual events but set no competition records.
In the high school division, Lee Jong-hui of Seowon High School in North Chungcheong Province and Jeon Ha-yul of Jecheon Girls' High School, also in North Chungcheong Province, were named the top athletes in their respective divisions. Jeon secured the women's MVP with a double crown in the points 5,000m and elimination 10,000m, then added a third gold in the 3,000m relay.
Lee Jong-hui's path to the men's MVP was far closer. He and Jeong Yeong-un, a second-year student at Jeonju Life Science High School in North Jeolla Province, were tied on every standard criterion — both had one gold and one bronze, and both set competition records in all of their medal events. The tiebreaker came down to team event results: Lee had competed in the 3,000m relay, where he finished third, and that participation proved decisive.
In the middle school division, MVP honors went to Kang U-bin, a third-year student at Incheon Haesong Middle School in Incheon, and Park Cho-yul of the South Chungcheong Province Roller Sports Federation's first-year group. Kang swept the dual time trial 200m and 500m+D, setting a competition record in the 200m — a mark that gave him the edge over Jang Min-gi, a third-year student at Daegu Dongbu Middle School in Daegu, who had won two long-distance events but set no records. Park, despite being a first-year student, won both the 1,000m and the elimination 10,000m, outperforming older competitors.
In the boys' elementary division, Park Geon-u, a sixth-year student at Bongjeong Elementary School in North Chungcheong Province, won the MVP award after taking first place in both the dual time trial 200m and the 500m+D. The girls' elementary MVP was the most tightly contested of the competition. Yun So-hui of the South Chungcheong Province Roller Sports Federation's sixth-year group and Kim Na-eun, a fifth-year student at Nonsan Naedong Elementary School in South Chungcheong Province, were equal in gold medals won and both set competition records in their two individual events. Neither competed in relay events. The tiebreaker came down to the final criterion in the MVP selection rules — relative distance — and Yun prevailed: while Kim competed in the dual time trial 200m and 500m+D, Yun entered the longer 1,000m and elimination 3,000m events.
The competition has traditionally been held at outdoor venues, but this year it moved indoors to the Nonsan Student Roller Skating Arena, a fabric-roof facility. The sheltered environment shielded athletes from the midday heat and reduced wind resistance, contributing to 82 competition records. Seven Korean national records were also set — a rare feat — making the event one of the most record-laden in the competition's history.
Korea Roller Sports Federation President Kim Gyeong-seok expressed satisfaction at the volume of records set. "Since last year, our athletes have been getting better at every competition, and I think we're seeing the results of that," he said, offering encouragement to competitors who broke records despite the summer heat.
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