Just six years ago, Yunji Kim was trying skiing for the first time at a winter sports camp in Korea. She fell in love with the sport and getting herself off the track quickly became a challenge. Fast forward to March 2026, and Kim was standing on top of the Paralympic podium in Val di Fiemme. At 19, making her Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026, the Korean won the women’s 12.5km Individual Sitting title ahead of two of the athletes she had once looked up to: Anja Wicker and Kendall Gretsch.

Perhaps most remarkable was what had happened just 24 hours earlier. Kim’s first-ever Paralympic biathlon race didn’t begin as planned. In the 7.5km Sprint, she arrived at the first shooting in second place, but missed four of her five targets. Yet her speed on the course brought her back into contention, and she eventually finished fourth. Kim saw it differently.

“I had never missed four shots in a race before, so I think that made me even more flustered. Of course, I was disappointed after the race. But when I looked at the results, I saw that my skiing hadn’t actually been that bad.

"Strangely enough, after that first race I actually felt more confident going into the next one. After making such a big mistake right at the beginning, I thought things couldn’t really get much worse! That actually calmed me down. There were still many races ahead of me, so I tried to forget about the race that was already over and prepare for the next one,” she said.

The following day, Kim crossed the finish line of the 12.5km Individual 12.8 seconds ahead of silver medallist Wicker. It was the first individual medal for a Korean woman at the Paralympic Winter Games - and it was gold.

“Sharing that moment with our team and all the people from Korea who were there was incredibly emotional. Later, when I went out to cool down on my own, I was so overwhelmed that I almost cried. I had trained very hard to win a medal, but I had never imagined it would be gold - it felt like a dream.”

Kim later added silver in the Sprint Pursuit, completing a remarkable Paralympic debut.

From the swimming pool to the snow

Kim was born with a spinal condition that affects her lower body. Sport became part of her life at an early age: she started swimming at three as part of her rehabilitation before developing into an elite para swimmer. Even after taking up winter sports, she continued to compete successfully in the pool, winning national titles and setting Korean records. But skiing offered her something different.

“I remember the first time I tried skiing. It was at a winter sports camp for young athletes with disabilities in Korea, and of all the sports I tried there, skiing was the one I enjoyed most! Even getting myself off the track was difficult. But I really wanted to manage it on my own, so I kept trying until our time was up. Back then, I never imagined that I would become a skier. Looking back, perhaps that was where my connection with skiing began.”

What drew Kim to skiing was the freedom of being out in nature and discovering different courses. She also came to appreciate the unpredictability of longer races, where mistakes do not necessarily decide the outcome.

“Until you cross the finish line, nobody knows what the final result will be. Even if you make a few mistakes, you can still achieve a good result if you refuse to give up until the very end,” she says. “And being able to spot a deer or a squirrel out there in the snow is another bonus!”

From role models to rivals

When Kim made her World Cup debut in 2022, athletes such as Anja Wicker, Kendall Gretsch and Oksana Masters seemed to be on another level. Wicker was one of the first top athletes she met on the circuit. Back then, Kim says she could not keep up with her even on the flat. Today, those former role models have become her direct rivals.

“If I could steal one thing from another athlete, I’d love to have Kendall Gretsch’s fast and accurate shooting. At the 2023 World Championships in Sweden, I shot next to Kendall, and she was frighteningly fast - I completely lost my own shooting rhythm!”

For all her success, Kim admits she is still learning to fully enjoy biathlon as a competitor. She loves watching the sport because a single shot can complete

ly change a race, but experiencing that unpredictability herself is another matter.

“When I’m the one racing, that makes me so nervous that I still can’t enjoy it 100 percent,” she admits. “As I gain more experience in biathlon, I think I’ll be able to appreciate its appeal more and more.”

“Is this Smiley’s rifle?”

Kim is now widely known in the para biathlon community by a nickname that fits the image most people see at competitions: Smiley. The story behind it, however, seems to have started almost accidentally.

“You could almost say that IBU gave me the nickname!” Kim says. “My coach told me that one of the IBU referees doing the rifle checks saw my rifle and asked him, ‘Is this Smiley’s rifle?’ That’s where it all began.”

The smile does not mean disappointment never gets to her.

“I’m not always cheerful. I have plenty of days when I feel down too. But at some point I realised that even when things don’t go well, there is something you can learn from the experience. You can use it to grow and achieve a better result in the future.

“Since realising that, I think I’ve been trying to look at things a little more positively, whatever happens. Most importantly, I enjoy the fact that I’m able to do this sport.”

Away from competition, Kim enjoys watching movies, making beaded keychains and going out for food with friends. Recently, she has also become interested in knitting.

Keep an eye on Korea

Kim’s next goal is to reach the overall World Cup podium while continuing to develop into a more complete athlete. She has already shown that such ambitions are realistic. In January, just weeks before the Paralympic Games, she claimed her first career World Cup victory in the Sprint Pursuit at the season finale in Jakuszyce.

Her ambitions extend beyond individual results. Kim hopes more Korean athletes will join the team, allowing Korea to compete in relay events in the future.

“I want to show everyone a Korean team that keeps getting stronger and stronger. So please keep an eye on us!”

Interest is already growing. Since the Paralympics, more people in Korea recognise Kim and tell her they watched her races, while TV appearances have followed. In the past, she often had to explain biathlon and cross-country skiing because many assumed she meant Alpine skiing.

What makes her happiest, however, is seeing young athletes with disabilities become interested in Nordic skiing and say they would like to try it themselves. Her advice to them is simple.

“Don’t be afraid. Go out and experience as many things as you possibly can. Something you decide to try could become an entirely new path in your life. Above all, let’s enjoy everything we do.”

And despite admitting she is still learning to embrace biathlon’s unpredictability as a competitor, Kim leaves no doubt about one thing.

“I already think there is no sport in the world as amazing as biathlon!”

Photos: IBU | Wlaźlak, IBU | Barbieri