BELLEVUE, Wash. — Before the U.S. speedskating trials, Bellevue's Eunice Lee didn't even have a bio on Team USA's website. But that quickly changed as the 17-year-old earned the fifth and final spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
"The fact that I have this title to my name is just, I'm really honored that I can say that, you know, I'm an athlete who represents the United States,” said Lee. “Coming on to this team, it just feels like I have more of a reason to be skating every day and it just gives me a new drive.”
After moving to Bellevue from South Korea when she was 6 years old, Lee started speedskating with her brother and sister at the Puget Sound Speedskating Club in Tacoma.
She credits Coach Chang Lee and her big brother John for pushing her to get better.
"My brother has always, you know, been the skater that not only leads me and my sister, but he has always been there to aspire us to be like him, not just as a skater but as like a person," said Lee.
When she was just 10, Lee won a silver medal at the U.S. National Championships.
In 2020, Eunice was named the Short Track Development Skater of the Year. Two years later, she would become the youngest speedskater on the U.S. Olympic team.
“I don't think in terms of I'm just so young and I already made the Olympics,” said Lee. “It's just, I think that it was a point in my career that came quickly and with shocking progress for me and my coaches. It just came at a good time, and I can see that as I go to the Olympics.”
Lee has balanced a blossoming career on the ice with a 4.0 GPA at Newport High School, and according to Lee, she also gets to compete in the most exciting sport at the Olympics.
"It's the coolest thing ever,” said Lee. “You're going so fast and you're fighting people at the same time. I don't think a lot of people could do that, you know, you're going at such phenomenal speeds, but at the same time, they must be super aware of their skating and other people skating because, you know, one wrong move can not only take you out but also could get you disqualified. So, I think that it's super cool and, you know, if you blink, you might miss something. So, I don't think a lot of other sports can say that about themselves.”