This Stanford Student and Top US Speedskater Is Aiming for Gold at 2026 Winter Olympics

For most student-athletes, the balancing act between exams and training is part of the job. But for Brandon Kim, a rising senior at Stanford University studying computer science, he calls himself a full-time student first, who still makes time to go for gold at this year’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

“My journey to where I am now is totally different from what a traditional skater or athlete might be,” said Kim, who was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. “When I’m at school, I don’t have access to an ice rink.”

Kim, 24, is among the 20 or so athletes with Bay Area ties who are competing in the Winter Games. He has been speedskating since he was a kid, and at 20 years old, he went on to become the top-ranked American skater in the world, entering the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2022 at No. 29. During those trials, he suffered crashes during the finals.

Kim persevered, and now he’s finally headed to the Olympics. He described his passion for speedskating and what he plans to see in Italy off the ice, in conversation with KQED morning news host Brian Watt. Here’s an excerpt of their conversation, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Brian Watt: How would you describe speedskating? What is happening on the ice?

Brandon Kim: We’re racing in a pack. We have 17-inch blades. We’re turning around the corner, leaning at crazy angles and going up to speeds of 30 miles per hour. I’m a short-track speed skater, so I compete inside like an Olympic-size rink, which is like a regular public rink. Our races consist of a lot of strategy. It’s definitely the more exciting version of speedskating compared to long track.

Short track seems intense, almost like the sprint on a typical track and field-like track, versus the longer distances, where you have to watch for a while.

It’s like watching paint dry. I guess the general consensus among short trackers is that long track is boring, and it’s easier because you don’t have to pass people and things like that.

I have to admit, I barely learned to ice skate. The idea of going that fast, like with any speed whatsoever, terrifies me. So, how did you get into it, and how did you maybe get over a fear of going fast?

I started when I was 9 or 10 years old, after watching the [2010] Vancouver Olympics. I thought just the speed that the athletes were going at and turning and racing seemed exciting. And there were a few teams around my area, so I just started out that way.

Your dream has been to make it to the Olympics. And you got really close, right before the 2022 Beijing Games. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

We qualify for Olympic spots based on our performance at World Cup competitions prior to the Olympics. I had earned those spots, but unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble at the Olympic Trials.

I fell like five times. It was a difficult competition for me. With short track, you never know what will happen because you’re racing in a group. You’re passing different people, so there can be a lot of collisions.

You are going to make your Olympic debut, and you’re also a full-time student at Stanford. When you are studying? And training for competitions, what does a typical day look like for you?

I’m not like a student athlete. I wasn’t recruited to Stanford for short track or anything like that.

When I’m at school, I prioritize my academics. I do a lot of weight lifting and training by myself because there’s no ice rink at Stanford. So, when I go out to compete, I fly out like Wednesday and then start competing on Friday.

Having just one or two days to acclimate myself and compete again, it’s something that not many, if any skaters, have done. Being away from the ice yet being able to compete at the highest level brings up my confidence and sets me apart from different athletes.

As you join Team USA in speedskating, competing alongside people like Jordan Stoltz, what’s going through your mind?

I just want to take it one race at a time and make sure my preparation from now until we start racing is as good as possible. I don’t want to let the pressure overwhelm me or anything like that. I just want to skate my own race and give it all I got.

What are you looking forward to doing in Italy that is not speed skating?

Outside the Olympic Village, I’m looking forward to looking at the Duomo di Milano. We had the test event at the Olympic facility last year, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to check it out. So this time, I want to be able to get a look.