Brandon Kim ’27 is not like any other Stanford computer science student that you will occasionally spot in the rec gym. He is also a short track speed skater — and a 2026 Olympian.
The Farm, however, isn’t exactly built for speed skaters. With no speed skating team or ice rink on campus, Kim has had to invent his own version of elite training, combining lifts at the gym, dryland drills on the track and a touch of optimism in what he calls an “unprecedented” situation.
His gym of choice to train in? The Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation (ACSR), or “Nearillaga” as most students call it.
When races on the International Skating Union (ISU) World Tour roll around, Kim hops on a plane on Wednesday to race on Fridays, often arriving with little time on the ice beforehand. He does all that while pursuing a computer science degree and pre-med classes, with aspirations to attend medical school and become an orthopedic or neurosurgeon in the future.
“I am at a disadvantage compared to my competitors. They’re training like 40 hours a week and I’m training 5 [a.m.] to 7 [p.m.],” Kim said. “But I’m still able to perform at that top level in the U.S., so I feel like it honestly kind of just took a little bit of pressure off of myself.”
Getting a feel for the ice without skating is near impossible, he added. Thus, in preparation for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, Kim decided to take a full year off from school for the first time, starting winter quarter last year, to train at the Olympic Oval in Utah alongside teammates on the U.S. national team.
With focused training under his belt, the 24-year-old opened the 2026 season medalling in all six finals at the U.S. Championships, claiming gold in all three individual distances (the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters). He even broke the nearly 13-year-old national record set by three-time Olympian J.R. Celski in the 500 meters, which Kim describes as his best event.
Kim’s results on the World Tour entirely determined his placement on Team USA’s Olympic roster, without the supplementary Olympic Trials held in previous cycles. Kim made a name for himself on the world stage, earning a career-best finish of fourth place in the 500-meters in Gdańsk, Poland. He ended the four-stage circuit in 14th place, the highest among American men, to qualify for his first Games, joining Andrew Heo and Clayton DeClemente on the U.S. team.
This wasn’t Kim’s first Olympic pursuit, however. In fact, ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, he was one of the most promising short track skaters in the U.S., sweeping all three distances at the U.S. Championships that season.
To make it to Beijing, all he needed to do was race the same way as he did all season. A few falls and equipment mishaps later, he finished third overall and landed just outside the top-two qualifying positions, despite earning a quota spot for the team through his World Tour performances.
“It was pretty tough, but I’d say that it probably just made me hungrier this time around,” Kim said.
Kim started his first year at Stanford after the 2022 Trials.
In Milan, Kim hopes to experience everything, meet everyone and win a medal. To make it to the finals of his individual events, he must first advance through two to three qualifying rounds for each distance. In short track, especially Kim’s signature 500-meters, just one slip can put anyone at risk of elimination.
“I’m just going to treat it like it’s the next competition,” Kim said. “I’m not racing any different people, right? It’s the same group of people, so I don’t want to blow it out of proportion.”
And when four skaters are all racing at once on a 111-meter oval at 30 mph, things can get a little messy.
“I’m just focusing on clean racing, smart racing and just not trying to let the pressure overwhelm me,” Kim said.
Short track speed skating will begin in Milan on Feb. 10. Kim is slated to race in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters along with the 5,000-meter relay and mixed relay.