Gold Medalist Ahn Hyun-Soo Becomes Russian Citizen
By wchung | 02 May, 2025

New Russian: A former S. Korean short track skating star has become the star of Russia's team.

Short track gold medalist Ahn Hyun-soo officially became a Russian citizen Monday when President Dmitry Medvedev signed a presidential order, the Russian Skating Union announced Wednesday. The skater will compete for his new nation as Viktor Ahn in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“It would be nice to be as famous in Russia as legendary Korean-Russian rock singer Viktor Choi,” said Ahn, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion. “I like it because it’s like the English word ‘victory.’ I plan to apply to give up my Korean citizenship when I get a Russian passport at the end of next month,” he said.

Ahn was one of S. Korea’s favorite short-track skaters after winning three golds at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy. But his fortunes suddenly tumbled in January of 2008 when he was cut from the national team after a training injury.

The Russian Skating Union offered to help restore Ahn to top form if he agreed to become a Russian citizen with an eye toward participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, a Black Sea resort.

“I’m only focusing on the 2014 Sochi Olympics for now,” Ahn said after admitting for the first time last August that he had applied for Russian citizenship. “I’ve gone through very difficult times [in recent years]. I will only look forward to my future goals from now.”

Russia wooed Ahn with the promise of a supportive environment that will let him focus completely on his training in Novogorsk. RSU will not only cover all of Ahn’s training expenses, it will also pay him a monthly stipend of $10,000. He will automatically win a spot on the Russian short-track team without tryouts and is slated to compete at next month’s European Championships in the Czech Republic. At February’s World Cup in Moscow he will face the formidable S. Korean team.