Lee Joo-young Crowned Queen of 2025: Wins the MAY QUEEN SPECIAL RACE

Lee Joo-young has reclaimed her title as Korea’s Queen of K-BOAT. On 14 May, she overcame an unfavourable lane and a field of elite challengers to claim victory in Race 15 of the 2025 MAY QUEEN SPECIAL RACE at Misari K-Boat Stadium.

The race featured the top six female racers based on average points from Rounds 1 to 18. Initially expected to compete were Moon An-na (B2), Lee Ji-soo (B2), Kim In-hye (A1), Lee Mi-na (B2), Ahn Ji-min (B2), and Park Seol-hee (A2). However, after a foul by Lee Ji-soo on 8 May, she was disqualified from participation. As a result, lane assignments shifted and Lee Joo-young, the next highest scorer, entered in lane 6.

This year's race drew attention for two reasons:

First, apart from Lee Mi-na, every competitor had previously won the MAY QUEEN SPECIAL RACE (formerly known as the Queen’s Cup). Moon An-na won in 2016, Kim In-hye in 2022, Park Seol-hee in 2005, Lee Joo-young in 2015, and Ahn Ji-min had an unmatched record with three wins (2005, 2017, 2019). With four veteran racers from the 3rd generation and younger contenders like Kim In-hye, the field was too evenly matched to pick a clear favourite.

The second focal point was the battle between course advantage and motor power. While Moon An-na (lane 1) and Kim In-hye (lane 2) held the highest average scores, the highest-performing motors went to Park Seol-hee (lane 5) and Lee Joo-young (lane 6). As the race began, betting odds favoured the inner lanes, listing Kim In-hye, Moon An-na, and Park Seol-hee as the top three picks.

But the moment the engines roared, expectations were turned upside down. Moon An-na and Kim In-hye had poor starts, while Park Seol-hee and Ahn Ji-min took the initiative, pressing the inside lanes hard. Both lost position at the first mark, opening a window for the outside trio—Ahn, Park, and Lee—to surge ahead.

Seizing the inner line, Lee Joo-young accelerated down the straight and overtook both Park and Ahn, maintaining her lead through the final lap to claim victory—a full decade after her last May Queen title in 2015.

Ahn Ji-min, who held second place for much of the race, couldn’t overcome her motor’s limitations and was overtaken by Park Seol-hee in the final metres, settling for third. With such unexpected results, the Exacta payout reached 203.1x and the Trifecta soared to 1,386x. Notably, the 3rd generation racers swept the top three positions, marking a return to form after recent years dominated by younger stars.

In the winner’s interview, Lee Joo-young said:

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win. I was assigned to lane 6 and didn’t feel in sync with the motor. I think luck was on my side more than anything. I haven’t competed much in major races recently, but I’ll use this as motivation to aim for more top-tier events this season.”