[Olympics] Yu Yeong, the 'Triple Axel' waited for 10 years

Today Olympic Debut... Aiming for Top 5 Entry

Yu Yeong, who competed in the women's singles figure skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is undergoing official training on the 14th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Yuh Young (Surigo), South Korea's leading female figure skater in the women's singles, will make her Olympic debut after a 10-year wait.

Born in 2004, Yuh Young is 18 years old this year. She was selected as a national representative at the age of 10 and has experience winning championships, but she could not participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics due to the age restriction rule (only those aged 15 or older were allowed to compete).

Yuh Young will compete 27th out of 30 participants, performing third in the last group, Group 5, at 7 p.m. on the 15th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium in China for the figure skating short program. Her goal for this competition is to enter the top 5.

Cha Junhwan (Korea University), who achieved the first top 5 finish in men's figure skating at the Olympics, holds the highest Olympic ranking for Korean figure skating since Kim Yuna.

In the short program on that day, Yuh Young plans to attempt the triple Axel (3.5 rotations) first, followed by the triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination jump. Yuh Young is the first Korean female figure skater to successfully land a triple Axel and the only skater to perform this technique.

Globally, few skaters can perfectly execute the triple Axel. If she secures the base score of 8.0 for the triple Axel plus the Grade of Execution (GOE), she can earn a score comparable to the quadruple toe loop (9.5 points).

Yuh Young will perform to the soundtrack (OST) of The Leftovers during the competition. Kim Yerim (Surigo), who ranked second in the domestic selection and is also competing, will make her Olympic debut on the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.