Former South Korean world short track champion Noh Jin-kyu died Sunday after a battle with bone cancer. He was 24 years old.
Noh’s sister, speed skater Noh Seon-yeong, wrote on her Facebook page that Jin-kyu passed away at 8:00 p.m. Sunday.
Noh Jin-kyu rose to prominence as an 18-year-old phenom when he won the overall title at the International Skating Union World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in 2011 in Sheffield, England. He finished second overall at the next world championships in Shanghai.
He was first diagnosed with a benign tumor in his left shoulder in September 2013. He put off surgery to remove the tumor so he could compete at the Sochi Winter Olympics in February 2014, but was ruled out of the competition after breaking his elbow during practice in January 2014.
While Noh went to surgery for the fractured elbow, it was also discovered that he had a malignant tumor in the left shoulder.
Before succumbing to the cancer, he had been receiving treatment for the past two years. (Yonhap)
