When Kim Gil-li entered the lane as the South Korean anchor in the final of the women's 3,000-meter short track relay at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday night, she was trailing Arianna Fontana of Italy, the most decorated short tracker in Olympic history.

With two laps remaining in the 27-lap race at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, all Kim wanted to do was not to fall at such a critical juncture.

The athlete nicknamed "Lambor-Gilli" after the famous Italian sports car for her speed found her extra gear and zipped past Fontana. Kim joined teammates Choi Min-jeong, Shim Suk-hee and Noh Do-hee for South Korea's first gold medal in short track at this year's Olympics. Lee So-yeon, who skated in the semifinals, also received the medal.

Kim Gil-li of South Korea (R) celebrates after anchoring her team to the gold medal in the women's 3,000-meter relay in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Kim Gil-li of South Korea (R) celebrates after anchoring her team to the gold medal in the women's 3,000-meter relay in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

"It was like I was skating on all fours," Kim said with a smile afterward. "I didn't want to fall, no matter what. And when I saw a bit of an opening, I charged through it. Honestly, this still feels like a dream."

It was a dream finish for a country that looked to be in danger of leaving Italy without a short track gold medal. Since short track joined the Winter Olympics in 1992, South Korea has never failed to win multiple gold medals in the sport.

South Korea had earlier failed to win gold medals in the mixed team relay, the men's and women's 500m, the men's 1,000m and 1,500m, and the women's 1,000m.

"It's been a mental struggle for me personally, given how things were playing out," Choi admitted. "But I kept trusting in the work we put in to prepare for this relay final."

Given the chaotic nature of short track, the final wasn't without its drama. Choi nearly got tripped up by Michelle Velzeboer of the Netherlands, whose skate blade got tangled up with that of a Canadian skater in front of her and fell to the ice.

Choi somehow stayed on her feet and kept South Korea in third place.

Kim Gil-li of South Korea (R) skates past Arianna Fontana of Italy (L) during the final of the women's 3,000-meter relay in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Kim Gil-li of South Korea (R) skates past Arianna Fontana of Italy (L) during the final of the women's 3,000-meter relay in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

"There were some really dicey moments," she looked back. "Fortunately, I was able to stay calm and handle those situations well."

Noh said Choi's composure was infectious.

"I think we all did our part as well as we could, and we really stayed patient," Noh said. "So that ended up creating really good synergy within the team."

As the second-to-last skater, Choi pushed Kim in one final exchange of the relay.

"I had all the faith in the world in Gil-li and used all of my speed and strength to push here," Choi said.

When Kim crossed the finish line and let out a primal scream, Lee, watching helplessly from the sidelines, could finally breathe.

"I was such a nervous wreck. I was cheering really hard for the girls," Lee said with a smile. "I am really thankful for what they did. I feel like they've given me such a huge gift."

Members of the South Korean women's short track speed skating relay team celebrate their gold medal at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday. From left: Shim Suk-hee, Noh Do-hee, Lee So-yeon, Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong. (Yonhap)
Members of the South Korean women's short track speed skating relay team celebrate their gold medal at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Wednesday. From left: Shim Suk-hee, Noh Do-hee, Lee So-yeon, Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong. (Yonhap)

An emotional celebration ensued, but Shim seemed particularly overwhelmed.

"Looking back on the process leading up to this moment, and even on some of the moments during the final, I was so proud of my teammates for sticking together and overcoming all the challenges," Shim said. "That's why I became so emotional out there."

This was Shim's third career Olympic gold medal, and all three have come in the 3,000m relay.

"I've been blessed to have had great teammates every time," Shim said with a smile. (Yonhap)