Lee Hae-in of South Korea performs in the women’s singles short program at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 17. [Photo by Yonhap]
South Korean figure skater Lee Hae-in (Korea University) set a season-best score in the short program at her first Winter Olympics, saying she handled the moment despite nerves.
Competing at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 18 (Korea time), Lee scored 70.07 points in the women’s singles short program, with 37.61 in technical elements (TES) and 32.46 in program components (PCS). She improved her previous season best of 67.06 by 3.01 points and secured a spot in the free skate.
“Up until yesterday, I thought I wouldn’t be nervous, but that wasn’t the case,” Lee said. “Even while nervous, I focused more on the feeling of my feet on the ice. I don’t think I made any big mistakes, so I think I did well.”
She said she was disappointed she could not fully show a transition she had practiced after her first triple combination jump because her blade caught in the ice on the landing.
Lee said she was pleased to see the season-best mark. “I want to praise myself for trying to earn points on every element,” she said. “I was happy when the score came up and it was a season best.”
Looking ahead to the free skate, Lee said she needs to pay closer attention to every element. “Since there were parts that felt lacking today, I’ll show everything I prepared in the free skate without leaving anything out,” she said, adding that while there are more elements to focus on and she expects to be nervous, she hopes to enjoy it more.
Competing at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 18 (Korea time), Lee scored 70.07 points in the women’s singles short program, with 37.61 in technical elements (TES) and 32.46 in program components (PCS). She improved her previous season best of 67.06 by 3.01 points and secured a spot in the free skate.
“Up until yesterday, I thought I wouldn’t be nervous, but that wasn’t the case,” Lee said. “Even while nervous, I focused more on the feeling of my feet on the ice. I don’t think I made any big mistakes, so I think I did well.”
She said she was disappointed she could not fully show a transition she had practiced after her first triple combination jump because her blade caught in the ice on the landing.
Lee said she was pleased to see the season-best mark. “I want to praise myself for trying to earn points on every element,” she said. “I was happy when the score came up and it was a season best.”
Looking ahead to the free skate, Lee said she needs to pay closer attention to every element. “Since there were parts that felt lacking today, I’ll show everything I prepared in the free skate without leaving anything out,” she said, adding that while there are more elements to focus on and she expects to be nervous, she hopes to enjoy it more.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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