Hae-in Hae-in’s ‘The Glory’ was completed in frustration

 In early January, after the 77th National Men’s and Women’s Figure Skating Championships held at the indoor ice rink in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do, when I checked the women’s singles protocol again, I suddenly thought of this. It was that Lee Hae-in (18, Sehwa Girls’ High School), who ranked 3rd in the women’s singles, was not unusual.

Lee Hae-in scored 134.56 points in the women’s single free skating event. Quarter landing (indicated by q: when the number of jump rotations is insufficient at the level of 90 degrees) was pointed out in 3 techniques, underrotated (when the number of jump rotations is less than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees) was pointed out in 1 technique, and attention (! Marked as : Wrong edge use caution) also had one.

There were a lot of jumps that didn’t fill the revolution perfectly, and there were also jumps that weren’t recognized for the correct edge, but I scored in the 134 points range. I wondered what the results would be if I ran these jumps intact.

At the time, Lee Hae-in was not a ‘complete type’ when looking at this season. Early in the season, he tried a triple axel and changed his jump configuration to figure out a strategy to score high. From the middle of the season, I focused on the current composition, and these efforts came to fruition with a ‘silver medal’ at the World Championships.

At the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Championships and the World Championships held at the end of the season, I felt like Lee Hae-in would make a ‘work’ if he didn’t make a big mistake and kept his condition in top condition. As expected, Lee Hae-in performed more than expected. He won the Four Continents Championships held in Colorado Springs, USA last month and won a silver medal at the World Championships this year.

As you know, Lee Hae-in suffered setbacks last year. He didn’t compete in the Olympics, which any figure skater would aim for. Yooyoung (19), Kim Yerim (20, Dankook University), and Lee Haein competed for the right to participate in the Olympics, which had only two tickets at stake.

Lee Hae-in did well in the 1st and 2nd qualifying rounds, but finished in 3rd place and was unable to stand on the Olympic stage. After the game at the time, he said with a calm expression, “My mother told me that this is not the end, whether I do well or not. She will work harder and go to the next Olympics.”

Lee Hae-in’s true value was revealed at the 2022 ISU Four Continents Championships. A young athlete who had just suffered a major setback managed to win the silver medal in the event with incredible focus.

After that, Kim Ye-rim, who was scheduled to participate in the World Championships, was confirmed to have a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) and the competition was canceled. Lee Hae-in토토사이트, who was given the opportunity to compete in place of Kim Ye-rim, took 7th place.

Lee Hae-in’s journey for the 2021-2022 season continued until April. I went to the national championships where many of the national team players did not participate, and flew to Italy to compete in the B-level competition, the Egna Spring Trophy, and won a silver medal. And I won the Triglav Trophy in Slovenia.

The reason I continued to compete was to prepare for the next season and earn ranking points. The effort to diligently prepare for the next season without succumbing to the frustration of failing to qualify for the Olympics began at this time.

Efforts made since dropping out of the Olympics paid off… The revived ‘steel mental’ Lee

Hae-in did not stand on the Olympic stage in the 2021-2022 season, but participated in six international competitions. Also, this season, he challenged a total of 6 international competitions and proved his ‘steadiness’.

A player who diligently takes to the international stage and shows off his steady skills is hard to be ignored. Lee Hae-in’s efforts, which have consistently imprinted on international judges since her junior days, led to a silver medal at the world championships, which she challenged for the third time.

Lee Hae-in confessed to his management company, All That Sports, that he had a difficult time at the beginning of the season, saying, “It was difficult at the beginning of the season because it did not work out well, but I did not give up and worked hard to show a good game until the end of the season.”

One of Lee Hae-in’s strengths is that he has not had any major injuries so far. He also spent his growth period without major problems and maintained his ‘jumping quality’.

Lee Hae-in’s jump perfection was further developed at this World Championships. Hae-in Lee’s short program and free skating protocol in this competition are very clean. In the free skating triple lutz + triple toe loop combination jump, the point where the quarter landing was pointed out was ‘Okay tee’.

However, he did all the difficult jump elements without any mistakes. In particular, the distance of the double axel, which I learned while practicing the triple axel, was very impressive. The double axel + triple toe loop combination jump, which was the first jump in free skating, received a GOE of 1.26.

It also showed the temperament of an ‘all-rounder’ while filling up the non-jumping element, which is an advantage. Lee Hae-in received the highest grade of Level 4 in all three spin elements (flying camel spin, flying change foot combination spin, and change foot combination spin) and step sequence in free skating.

In the free skating, Lee Hae-in took first place among all skaters. Kaori Sakamoto (Japan), who achieved her second consecutive victory following last year, handled the first jump as a single in the triple flip + triple toe loop combination jump.

However, the strategy of betting on the performance score and component score according to the quality of each skill succeeded and won the championship with a total score of 224.61 points.

Lee Hae-in broke her personal best scores in the short, free and total points in this competition. When the score of 220.94 came out, Lee Hae-in himself was surprised. It was the third highest score in women’s singles this season.

With this, Lee Hae-in became the third Korean female singles player to exceed 220 points in total after Kim Yuna won the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics with a score of 228.56. You Young took her silver medal at the 2020 Four Continents Championships with a score of 223.23.

During her junior years, Lee Hae-in succeeded in winning her second Junior Grand Prix in a row thanks to her unwavering spirit. After entering the senior stage, the number of times she perfected her program decreased, but she once again showed her natural ‘steel mentality’ at the World Championships.

Now, Lee Hae-in’s eyes are on the next 2023-2024 season. In an interview with Golden Skate, an American figure skating media outlet, Lee Hae-in said, “I want to try the triple axel in the next season.”

During practice, Lee Hae-in’s triple axel success rate was good. But it wasn’t perfect for melding with other skills in a real game. Lee Hae-in, who finished the 3rd Grand Prix competition last year, said, “The triple axel success rate was good, but we need to pay attention to other factors as well.

If the ‘special move’ of the triple axel is incorporated into the current composition, Lee Hae-in’s competitiveness in international competitions can go up several steps. It is believed that the completion of the high-level technique will require a lot of thought and effort from the coaches and players themselves, as they have perfected the configuration without the triple axel at this World Championship.

Lee Hae-in’s growth has also served as a good stimulus to juniors who are now in full swing. The era of Kim Yuna’s propaganda alone is over long ago. The skills of domestic players have been leveled up and have emerged as a ‘new figure skating dark horse’ in the absence of Russian players.