▲ In this file photo from Jan. 12, 2023, Victor An, former Russian short track speed skater born Ahn Hyun-soo in South Korea, prepares for an interview for the coaching position of Seongnam City Hall's short track team at Seongnam City Hall in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)
▲ This file photo from Feb. 6, 2022, shows Victor An, former Russian short track speed skater born Ahn Hyun-soo in South Korea, working as a coach for China during the Beijing Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. (Yonhap)

ex-short tracker-coaching

Ex-Russian short track star Victor An to coach at S. Korean nat'l team trials: source

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean-born ex-Russian short track speed skater Victor An will work as coach during the upcoming South Korean national team trials, a source said Thursday.

According to the source, An will serve as personal coaches for "multiple skaters" during the national team trials for the 2023-24 season. The competition begins next Tuesday at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul.

This will be An's first official appearance as coach in his native land.

Per the source, An had been skating at his alma mater, Korea National Sport University, in Seoul and had helped some younger skaters informally, though An was never officially hired by the school. A few skaters then asked An to help them out at the national team trials, and An agreed to do so, the source added.

An, 37, was born Ahn Hyun-soo in South Korea. He won three gold medals for the country at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. Before the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, however, he acquired Russian citizenship and won three gold medals for his adopted country under his new name.

He served on the Chinese team's coaching staff at last year's Beijing Winter Games.

After the Olympics, An returned to South Korea. In January this year, An applied for the coaching job for the semi-pro short track team at the municipal government of Seongnam, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul.

An faced backlash for attempting to find work in South Korea after renouncing his citizenship only a few years ago. That An had recently coached China, one of South Korea's biggest rivals in short track, also didn't sit well with the public here.

An did not make the cut after an interview with Seongnam, and the city ultimately decided not to fill the vacant coaching position.

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