{"id":229095,"date":"2026-01-19T16:47:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/?p=229095"},"modified":"2026-01-19T16:47:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:47:50","slug":"fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\/","title":{"rendered":"This Speedskating Olympian Has Fairfax Roots"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"custom_featured_image\" style=\"display:none;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-800x533.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"brandon kim, US speedskater, fairfax va\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-263x175.png 263w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div><div id=\"custom_category\" style=\"display:none;\">going for gold <\/div><p>There&#8217;s one Olympian whose journey to the competition took him along I-66, just like the rest of us. Short track speedskater Brandon Kim is a Fairfax native and a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. He&#8217;s also the top-ranked American man in short track (500 m) speedskating, a <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/virginialicious-connects-korean-food-and-community-in-annandale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fan of Korean food,<\/a> and somehow, a Philadelphia Eagles fan. <em>The Fairfax Girl<\/em> caught up with Brandon as he made his way to Milan, Italy, for the Winter Games, which will take place from February 6th through 22nd, 2026, with the men&#8217;s short track speed skating events on February 16th and 18th, 2026.&nbsp; <strong>Read on for more with Fairfax&#8217;s own Olympian, Brandon Kim.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-229101\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI.png\" alt=\"brandon kim, US speedskater, fairfax va\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI.png 1000w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Brandon Kim. Image courtesy of US Speedskating.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Brandon Kim graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in 2020 and is currently a computer science student at Stanford University. In preparation for the Olympics, Brandon has taken some time off from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcolympics.com\/news\/short-tracks-brandon-kim-ready-his-long-awaited-trip-olympic-stage\"> his studies to move<\/a> to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the US Speedskating Team trains. We caught up with him before he left for Milan, Italy, but after he had secured his spot on the 10-man roster for the short track races.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em><strong>The Fairfax Girl:<\/strong> <\/em>How did growing up in Northern Virginia impact your athletic success? What&#8217;s it like doing a winter sport in a not-terribly-wintery area?<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em><strong>Brandon Kim:<\/strong><\/em> Short track\u2019s a more niche sport, and there were a few teams around the DC area (many states don\u2019t have any teams at all), so I think that made it a bit more competitive and fun. There were also a lot of challenges. My parents commuted 1.5 hours each way so I could practice. Also, when I was younger, it was hard to get ice times, so sometimes we would skate at 4AM, and other times we would finish practice at midnight. I was skating at Potomac Speedskating Club while attending Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, so it was challenging to balance both of them, but that experience probably played a large part in shaping my Olympic journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>See more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/capital-area-food-bank-nothern-virginia-va\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hidden Network Feeding Northern Virginia: Inside the Capital Area Food Bank\u2019s Mission<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG:<\/em><\/strong> What was your age and the circumstances in which you first seriously thought that you could reach the Olympics?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK:<\/em><\/strong> I first thought I could seriously reach the Olympics when was 16 years old. I was US junior champion and competed internationally at the Junior World Championship. I also competed in my first Olympic trials for the 2018 PyeongChang Games as the youngest participant.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>What does it mean to you to be on the Olympic team for the USA?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>I\u2019m very excited to be going to the Olympics. It&#8217;s something that I\u2019ve worked towards for so long, and I\u2019ve received a lot of support from my family, coaches, and teammates. I\u2019m thankful the hard work and support have paid off.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-229100\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater.png\" alt=\"US Speedskater Brandon Kim\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater.png 1080w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-585x585.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><em>Brandon Kim. Image courtesy of US Speedskating.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>Do you have a favorite food or restaurant in Northern Virginia?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>I always get Korean food when I\u2019m back home, as well as some home-cooked meals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>What&nbsp;do you like to do when you&#8217;re in town?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>I like to spend time at home, catch up with friends and family, and just relax and reset.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/lucy-loves-old-town-fairfax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lucy Loves: A Hidden Gem That Brings Fairfax\u2019s Secondhand Vendors Under One Roof<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG:<\/em><\/strong> What are some non-athletic goals you have for the Olympics?<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>I\u2019d love to explore the city, see the Duomo, meet and exchange pins with other athletes, and fully enjoy the opening and closing ceremonies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>How are you an Eagles fan having grown up in deep burgundy Commanders territory?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>I was born around Philly, and my dad\u2019s from Philly, so I grew up an Eagles fan.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>Are there any DMV athletes (either from the area or playing\/played on local teams) that you look up to, and why?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK:<\/em><\/strong> When I was in middle school, I skated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamusa.com\/profiles\/thomas-hong-985843\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Hong<\/a>, who is a 2018 PyeongChang Olympian. He was good at skating, and I was chasing him around the rink. I still ask him for advice now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-229099\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2.png\" alt=\"US Speedskater Brandon Kim\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2.png 1080w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_speedskater-2-585x585.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><em>Brandon Kim. Image courtesy of US Speedskating.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>What&#8217;s something people might be surprised to learn about you?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>For the three years before this season, I trained for World Cup competitions while attending Stanford without an ice rink &#8211; no skating at all. I would train by lifting weights, running, biking, and doing other dryland exercises, and then fly out a few days before the World Cup competitions to compete.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>TFG: <\/em><\/strong>How can NOVA neighbors support you at the Olympics and beyond?&nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong><em>BK: <\/em><\/strong>They can support me by following along, cheering me on, and sharing in the excitement by watching the races.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks so much, Brandon! Best of luck and safe travels. We&#8217;ll all be rooting for you!&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Follow @thefairfaxgirl on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thefairfaxgirl\/\"><span class=\"s2\">Instagram <\/span><\/a>+&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thefairfaxgirl\"><span class=\"s2\">TikTok<\/span><\/a> for the latest Northern Virginia updates, and check out our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/events\/\"><span class=\"s2\">events calendar<\/span><\/a>, which has over 100+ events weekly to peruse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/category\/lifestyle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-228394\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1.png\" alt=\"lifestyle button\" width=\"450\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1.png 1200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1-800x267.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1-1170x390.png 1170w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/1-585x195.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>going for gold There&#8217;s one Olympian whose journey to the competition took him along I-66, just like the rest of us. Short&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":362,"featured_media":229101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9775,9847,9709,7997,9722,9593],"tags":[9774,9813,9770,9849,9771,9845],"class_list":["post-229095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-fairfax","category-fairfax-county","category-lifestyle","category-sports","category-local-girl-rss-feed","tag-community","tag-fairfax","tag-nova","tag-people","tag-sports","tag-tlg"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Speedskating Olympian Has Fairfax Roots - The Fairfax Girl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"US Olympic team member + Fairfax native Brandon Kim is a world champion speed skater and chatted with us about his journey to Milan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Speedskating Olympian Has Fairfax Roots\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"US Olympic team member + Fairfax native Brandon Kim is a world champion speed skater and chatted with us about his journey to Milan.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Fairfax Girl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-19T21:47:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-19T21:47:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/01\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Spear\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephanie Spear\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stephanie Spear\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3e59295c260a6c3306239960b75e1a03\"},\"headline\":\"This Speedskating Olympian Has Fairfax Roots\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-19T21:47:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-19T21:47:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":881,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/brandonkim_fairfaxolympian_FI.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Community\",\"fairfax\",\"NOVA\",\"People\",\"Sports\",\"The Local Girl\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"Fairfax\",\"Fairfax County\",\"Lifestyle\",\"Sports\",\"The Local Girl\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/fairfax-olympian-brandon-kim-speedskater\\\/\",\"name\":\"This Speedskating Olympian Has Fairfax Roots - 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