Kim Magnus finished 49th, clocking a time of 3 minutes, 22.36 seconds in the men's sprint classic qualification competition at Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Centre in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some 182 kilometers east of Seoul.

Born to a Norwegian father and a Korean mother, Kim, 19, is one of South Korea's top cross-country skiing prospects. He won two gold medals at the 2016 Youth Winter Games, and earned a gold at the 2017 Asian Winter Games.

While he won't contend for a medal this time around, Kim wil try to use PyeongChang, his first Olympics, as a stepping stone for his promising future.

"I didn't necessarily perform bad, but in order to advance to the next stage, I had to do my best. I don't think I met that standard," Kim said in a mixed zone interview after the race.

He said the qualification race, his first-ever Olympics competition, was a "very good experience" in his athletic career.

"The atmosphere is great and I'm so grateful for the spectators cheering passionately for me," he said.

Ju Hye-ri came in second-to-last, 67th, in the women's sprint classic qualification, clocking in a time of 4 minutes and 11.92 seconds. The South Korean skier lost her balance and fell during the final stretch of the competition. (Yonhap)