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The Olympic flame is inching closer to the final destination for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, and ENHYPEN member Sunghoon is one of the lucky few in charge of bringing the torch relay to a close in its long-anticipated final stretch.
After over two months, the Olympic torch relay will enter its 60th and final stage on February 5, arriving in Milano one day before the Games are due to start, and the grand opening ceremony is set to take place at San Siro. 23-year-old Sunghoon is making the trek to Italy alongside thousands of athletes from all over the world; he's set to officially become a torchbearer at around 3 p.m. local time as the relay enters its final 24 hours.
Winter sports, both in fiction and in real life, are having a major moment, and the Winter Olympics are only pushing that momentum forward, something Sunghoon also wishes to help ignite. Sunghoon being named a torchbearer is a fitting nod to the idol’s past as a figure skater, and he's not taking the task lightly.
Ahead of his turn at the torch relay tomorrow, Teen Vogue sat down with Sunghoon to talk about why this task is such a special honor for him, his days as a figure skater, and who he's rooting for these Olympics.
Sunghoon: I was at my company! One of the staff members came to me and told me. I was just deeply touched and very happy because, as you probably know, I did figure skating for 10 years, and while training, it was always my dream to be part of the Olympics. Now I have a different job as an idol, I'm an artist, but to be still connected to my dream is a big, big honor for me.
Sunghoon: Yeah! Although I'm not an athlete anymore, and I'm not participating as an athlete, so it's a little bit different. When I was an athlete, it was my dream to showcase my performance. Now, I get to be part of the Olympics, cheering and rooting for the athletes. That still means a lot to me: I get to be part of this journey, in charge of energizing others, including the athletes, which, as someone who is an athlete-turned-artist, [feels special]. So it's in a different form, of course, but it feels like a big dream is coming true for me.
Sunghoon: First of all, that was my first time hearing other names of torchbearers, and it's my profound honor to be part of this whole journey with these amazing people. Wow. I do feel a deep sense of responsibility, but I know that Jin did so well in the last Olympics, so I'm going to make sure that I run hard and do well too.
Sunghoon: I do have my worries because it's such a meaningful event, and the weight of it is just so big, so, yeah, I do worry. I'm a bit scared, but this is such a big honor for me. Since I've never been to a torch relay, I don't know what the atmosphere is going to be like, but still, I'm just going to make myself feel at home and do a good job!
Sunghoon: Yeah, I know. [Laughs.] Even if the flame goes out somehow during the relay, I just know that I have to keep running!
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Sunghoon: As a former athlete, I know athletes' dedication and the effort that they always put into their work. I was a figure skater for quite a long time, and I thought that was a good reason for me to become an ambassador. I knew I could do a good job of it, and it was an honor to be appointed. As part of ENHYPEN, I think what we do best is share energy on stage with our fans and people around the globe, and make sure we have a positive influence. I think it actually works the same for athletes. While they also work for their records, many sports fans are moved by their performance and draw energy from them. So, in that sense, it's a very similar role: sharing energy, sharing good times together.
Sunghoon: It's a profound honor for the group and me together that our track is going to be the official cheer song for the Korean team. We gave it a lot of thought, like, pondering which track of ours would make for a perfect cheer song, and “SHOUT OUT” was at the top of my list. The song is really about these boys shouting out, raising their voices to the world. It's a song that shows a lot of confidence, and the lyrics really go well with cheering people up. It was perfect for this, and I'm just thrilled and grateful that it will be the official cheer song for the Korean team.
Sunghoon: Oh! When I'm feeling a bit blue or down, I actually tend to listen to a lot of hardcore rock. For example, Metallica or Linkin Park. And recently, my remix of "Knife." I think that's a song that I listened to a lot recently.
Sunghoon: There are so many fond memories. The first winter sport I got into was actually ice hockey. I was a quiet, shy boy, so my parents recommended I take up a sport, so I started my journey with ice hockey. Looking back, I actually think that was a very good decision that I made in my life to start doing ice hockey and doing winter sports because that's something I feel like I really needed.
So it started with ice hockey, then I moved into figure skating, and that's when I really started to find sports fun. I would train every day, practice every day, and I learned that only practice makes perfect. You wouldn't be able to do a kind of technique, but after a lot of practice, you'll be able to nail that technique, and then you feel this immense sense of accomplishment. That was something I really loved, and I was ecstatic to score well in various competitions. I think that it is because I was a figure skater that I could become part of ENHYPEN and an artist as a whole.
Sunghoon: Yeah! Well, I had many reasons for training to be an idol, but one was that I thought it would help me improve as a figure skater. Because figure skating is really all about expressiveness. It's crucial. So a lot of figure skaters learn modern dancing, K-pop dances, or vocals too, to make sure that they can express themselves, and that's part of the reason why I started training, because I thought it might help.
But another reason, lurking in the back of my mind, was that maybe this was another path I wanted to pursue going forward. So I had these different ideas in my head, then started training as an idol, and I think it turned out to be mutually beneficial for both sides. When you look at figure skating, they have very simple, clear-cut, and beautiful movements. I think that helped when I was learning to dance as a trainee. Many people tell me I am a bit of a perfectionist. I think it carries from time as a figure skater because athletes are really all about dedication, and they want to really perfect and hone in on their skills, and I did the same thing when I was a trainee, and I think that really helped me a lot.
So training to be an idol helped me become more expressive as a figure skater. And I have a lot of perseverance because I was once an athlete and a figure skater.
Sunghoon: Being an idol trainee and a competitive figure skater at the same time was quite difficult. By day, I would be at a rink practicing my figure skating, and by night, I would head to the company, to the practice rooms. It wasn't easy but, again, it ended up being mutually beneficial. I had a lot of fun being an idol trainee. Maybe it was because it was something I was learning for the first time, or maybe I had something in me that clicked, or maybe it was because I was surrounded by friends my age with similar goals, and I loved training with them.
Sunghoon: The moment when I made up my mind was, I think it was, BTS's Love Yourself album, when the track “Idol” came out. I went to their concert, watched them perform, and it was just amazing. I was overwhelmed. I thought they were just so cool, and they immediately became my role models. That was the moment when I made up my mind to become an artist.
Sunghoon: [Laughs.] I barely do, but sometimes I'm on TikTok, and our fans, ENGENE, upload videos of my past competitions. When I'm monitoring ENGENE's online reactions, I sometimes come across them. I feel like my fans really enjoy watching little boy Sunghoon figure skate. I don't purposely look those videos up, but they do sometimes end up on my phone.
Sunghoon: I do feel a bit sheepish, but then I remember that it's only because I have that past that I was able to become a trainee, so it's definitely not a part of my life that I want to erase at all. And sometimes it does get a smile on my face too!
Sunghoon: Skating requires being on skates and in an ice rink, [which is hard]. For the MAMA performance, I was on roller skates instead, but if there's an opportunity, why not? I think it's going to be fun. Maybe if there's an ice show and we can perform our music on the ice rink, that would be a good opportunity.
Sunghoon: Yes! If we had that opportunity, I'd have to teach all of them, but I think they'll be very quick to learn!
Sunghoon: It was actually quite recently! I think it was last month? Before our latest comeback, we shot a little video for the Olympics, actually, at an ice rink. So that's when I last put on my skates! Every time I put on my skates, I feel that it's so fun, and the memories come back to me. I immediately become the little boy Sunghoon, who used to really love skating. [Smiles.]
Sunghoon: I don't think I'll bring them, but I always have them with me! When we are shooting some videos, there are times when I have to put them on, so I do always have them around.
Sunghoon: Yes! That's a key point. Because I used to be an athlete, I love being in my own pair of skates, not someone else's.
Sunghoon: I always try to keep myself informed on what's happening in the figure skating world, so, of course, I'm looking forward to that. I'm also quite excited about short track! Because Korea is a powerhouse in short track. I think the games are so adrenaline-pumping, and that's why I like them. And also bobsledding! I really enjoy the speed … [Also,] there are two male figure skaters in Korea's national team, Cha Junhwan and Kim Hyungyeom. We used to train together when I was young. We go way back, so I'm always cheering for them! I hope that they do well.
Sunghoon: Last year, we achieved one of our milestones by winning our first-ever Daesang (Grand Prize) at MAMA. That was a long-time goal for us, so we need to set new goals this year. We haven't listed the goals in detail! This year, we're just going to work very hard to promote our new album, or continue to do that, and then we have an upcoming tour and also other activities that are lying ahead of us. I just hope that ENGENE and ENHYPEN have a wonderful year and share our energy.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Sunghoon spoke via an interpreter.
