Thomas Hong

Thomas Insuk Hong competes at the sharp end of American short track speed skating, a discipline where races are decided by fractions of a second and razor-thin margins. His defining breakthrough arrived with selection to the United States team for the 2018 Winter Olympics, placing him among the world’s elite short track athletes on the sport’s biggest stage in Pyeongchang.

Representing the United States at an Olympic Winter Games marks the culmination of years spent refining the explosive starts, tight-corner technique, and tactical race awareness that define short track competition. Racing on a 111.12-meter oval against seven other skaters demands both raw speed and split-second judgment, qualities that carried Hong to the top tier of American selection ahead of 2018.

As an Olympian, Hong remains part of a small group of American athletes to have competed in short track speed skating at the highest international level, and his 2018 appearance remains the headline achievement of his competitive career to date.