Figure skating hopeful Lee Hae-in (18, Sehwa Girls’ High School) and Kim Ye-rim (20, Dankook University) stood out side by side on the international stage.
On the 11th (Korean time), Lee Hae-in won the championship with a total score of 210.84 in the women’s singles competition that ended at the Broadmoor World Arena in Springs, Colorado, USA.
After finishing sixth in the short program the previous day with 69.13 points, she showed a perfect performance in the free skating and recorded the season’s highest score of 141.71 points, raising the ranking to first place at once.
Lee Hae-in, who won her silver medal at the event last year, finally snatched her first gold medal at an ISU major senior event.
It is the first time in 14 years that a Korean female single player has won the Four Continents Championship since Yuna Kim in 2009.
In September 2019, at the age of 14, Lee Hae-in won consecutive victories in the 3rd and 6th ISU Junior Grand Prix competitions and advanced to the Grand Prix Final, drawing attention as the ‘future of Korean figure skating’.
At the time, it was the first time in 14 years since Kim Yu-na in 2005 that a Korean female athlete won two consecutive Junior Grand Prix competitions.
Since then, Lee Hae-in has grown step by step. In 2021, at the ISU World Championships, her senior debut, she placed 10th, setting a record for ‘top 10 youngest world championships in Korean figure skating’.
She has had ups and downs, of course. Due to her poor performance in the first round of the qualifying round for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she only finished sixth, and could not make up for it in the second round, failing to qualify for the Olympics.
But Lee Hae-in did not hesitate. At the 2022 Four Continents Championships, she spread her wings again by finishing runner-up with her personal best (213.52). At the World Championships in March of last year, he also placed 7th.
After missing out on medals by placing fourth in both senior Grand Prix this season, he regained his strength and rose to the top at the Four Continents Championships, where he has good memories.
After the match, Lee Hae-in told management company All That Sports, “I participated in this competition with the idea of focusing on the process rather than the result. Forgetting the unfortunate score in the short game and showing everything I can do in the free game, I am really happy and a valuable medal.” Their support has been a great source of strength. I will train happily so that there will be good results in the remaining world championships.” 온라인바카라
Kim Ye-rim, who took first place in the short program the day before, made a jump mistake in the free skating and took second place (209.29 points).
Her runner-up finish remains regrettable, but Kim Ye-rim is also shining in her silver class this season.
In November of last year, he won his first medal at the senior Grand Prix by placing second at the 3rd ISU Senior Grand Prix event, and on the 19th of the same month, he won the gold medal at the 5th Grand Prix event, earning the right to participate in the final competition.
The gold medal at the Grand Prix and advancing to the finals were also the first since Yuna Kim in the 2009-2010 season.
Of course, this season, it is true that Russian athletes, a powerhouse in figure skating, were not able to participate in ISU-sponsored competitions as a punishment following their country’s invasion of Ukraine, so the competition was less fierce.
In this situation, Korean players did not miss the opportunity that came.
At the same time, Kim Ye-rim, who pursued ‘high-quality acting’ and focused on her own growth, took a step up from last year’s bronze medal at the Four Continents Championships and won two medals in a row.
Through All That Sports, Kim Ye-rim said, “I won the silver medal following the bronze medal last year, and I am satisfied with the fact that I am improving. My goal was to perform cleanly, and although the last mistake was a little regrettable, I think I did everything I could.” I will prepare hard and do my best so that there will be no regrets at the World Championships in March.”