Teen short track speed skater Rim Jong-un grew up idolizing Lim Hyo-jun, and it was Lim’s gold medal-winning race in the men’s 1,500 meters at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games that planted the seeds of Rim’s own Olympic dreams. On Thursday, Rim, 18, will get to skate alongside Lim in the same quarterfinal group in the men’s 1,000m at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. But there is a twist: Lim is no longer skating for Korea. He is now officially Lin Xiaojun of China, having switched allegiance in 2021 after facing sexual harassment charges, since overturned. Lin Xiaojun will always be Lim Hyo-jun in Rim’s heart, but at least on Thursday, he will put aside his admiration for the veteran skater and try to beat him for a spot in the semifinals. “Our group has other strong skaters,” Rim said after a training session at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday, referring to Jens van ‘t Wout of the Netherlands and Luca Spechenhauser of Italy. “So I can’t afford to worry about just one skater,” Rim added. “I have to keep many others in mind as I prepare for that race.” Rim said he had run
