South Korean short track speed skaters preparing for an upcoming World Cup race said Wednesday they will not be too concerned about going up against a former national team star now competing for Russia.

Seoul’s Mokdong Ice Rink will hold the second leg of the World Cup, organized by the International Skating Union, from Thursday to Sunday.

In the competition, South Korean male skaters will race against Viktor Ahn, a South Korean-born Russian short tracker. Born Ahn Hyun-soo in Seoul, the three-time Olympic gold medalist for South Korea became a Russian citizen in December 2011 to give himself a chance to compete at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

This week’s ISU World Cup will be Ahn’s first competition in South Korea since he acquired Russian citizenship. He grabbed four titles during last year’s World Cup season and added two silver medals at the world championships held earlier this year.

At a media day event held Wednesday, members of the South Korean national team said they won’t be caught up with Ahn’s presence on the ice.

“Ahn will be just one of the foreign skaters,” said Yoon Jae-myung, head coach of the men’s team. “We won’t do anything special to keep him in check.”

Ahn is one of the most decorated short trackers in history. In addition to his three gold medals at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, Ahn was crowned the overall world champion in five straight years starting in 2003. (Yonhap News)