Lucas Koo, a 17-year-old Philadelphian, recently represented Brazil at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, in short-track speedskating, writes Kristen A. Graham for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The young athlete placed among the top 10 in two of his three events. As soon as the games were over, the teenager flew back to Philadelphia to continue his junior year at Masterman.

Koo was 4 years old when he stepped onto the ice for the first time.

He decided to focus on the short track because he enjoys the intensity and pressure that comes with it.

“I love going fast, going into the corner; your form has to be compact, there’s a huge amount of pressure on your leg, and you also have external forces, people bumping into you,” he said.

He opted to compete for Brazil to honor his Brazilian roots. While he is ethnically Korean, his father, a Penn professor and scientist, is a Brazil native.

“I could have represented the U.S., but I wanted to represent a country that isn’t well represented in ice sports, and make a name for myself,” said Koo. “I would be just another skater in the U.S.”

His current goal is to represent Brazil in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Read more about Lucas Koo at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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