Ahn Hyun-Soo won the first gold medal for South Korea in the Turin Olympic Games as he claimed the victory in 2:25.341 in the men's 1,500m short track speedskating here on Sunday.

His compatriot Lee Ho-Suk, second to Ahn in the final 2005-2006 World Cup rankings for the 1500m, took the silver in 2:25.600.

Chinese Li Jiajun, silver medalist in this event at the Salt Lake Games, took the bronze in 2:26.005.

"I am satisfied with my result here though I felt a little bit disappointed for not meeting Apolo Anton Ohno in the final," Ahn said.

American Ohno, the defending champion, did not qualify for the six-men final after tripping in a semifinal.

Ohno won the 1,500m gold in the 2002 Games after the disqualification of South Korean Kim Dong-Sung. Kim finished first in the 1500m, but an Australian referee ruled that he illegally blocked Ohno with a half-lap remaining. That caused a furor for the South Korean Olympic team.

"This is my second time to compete in the Olympics. The dispute between Kim and Oho really upset us, and I trained quite hard in the last fours years," said Ahn, who placed fourth over 1,000m in 2002.

Though skating behind Chinese skaters earlier in the final race, Ahn took the lead powerfully with Lee Ho-Suk following closely with two laps to go.

Ahn, the world record holder of 2:10.639, completed the 2005- 2006 World Cup competition with a top ranking in the 1500m. He also won the 1500m at the 2005 world championships in Beijing.

"There are also a lot of talented skaters today, so I had to pay attention to their move. Ohno is not my only rival," Ahn said.

"I really competed hard in the final. Though I lost to Ahn, the gold medal went to my compatriot. Anyway, I am still happy for him, " Lee Ho-Suk said.

"I am happy to take the bronze. South Koreans are very strong in this distance," Li Jiajun said after the competition.

"My opponents in the heats and semi-finals are also strong, so I skated hard at that time and when the final came, I felt tired," Li added.

"I will retire after the Turin Games, so what I want to do here is to stay relaxed and to do my best in the following days."

Source: Xinhua