I’m very proud of the Korean national team. It’s not just because we got good results. We enjoyed the tournament and we were so into it.”
Cha Jun-hwan (21, Korea University), captain of the Korean national figure skating team, announced this in an interview with the ISU after winning runner-up at the 2022-2023 International Skating Union (ISU) World Team Trophy held at the Tokyo Gymnasium on the 15th.
As Cha Jun-hwan said, Korean players really enjoyed this tournament and brought out the best results that no one expected.
The Team Trophy Competition is a national figure skating competition that started in 2009. It is held every two years and six countries that have performed well during one season compete.
Korea finished runner-up overall with 95 ranking points in this tournament, following the United States (120 points). It was a dramatic result, beating 3rd place Japan (94 points), who was considered a favorite for the championship, by one point.
South Korea, which was trailing Japan by 11 points ahead of Cha Jun-hwan’s performance in the men’s single free skating, the final event of the tournament, had to place at least second place to win the silver medal.
Cha Jun-hwan overcame the burden and climbed to the top overall, writing a wonderful come-from-behind drama.
The Korean national team players, who took the opportunity to participate in the Team Trophy event for the first time this year, set the theme of this tournament as ‘enjoyment’.
All the players agreed to throw off the pressure of fierce competition and enjoy it without burden.
Lee Hae-in (18, Sehwa Girls’ High School) said in an interview with Yonhap News ahead of the opening of the team trophy, “I don’t have any greed for grades.”
Lee Hae-in, whose hobby is drawing, made sketches of the national team players ahead of the tournament and presented them as gifts토스카지노.
Athletes put as much effort into cheering and ceremonies as they did in preparing for the tournament.
Kim Ye-rim (20, Dankook University), nicknamed “Figure Skating General,” performed a ceremony with a toy knife at the Kiss and Cryzone to check the score, while Lee Hae-in, nicknamed “Pipyak,” posed cutely with a doll of a chick. .
‘Figure skating prince’ Cha Jun-hwan was adorned with a crown. He also held a ceremony by shooting a toy gun in imitation of the free skating program ‘OO7 James Bond’.
The national team players who shook off the burden and pressure showed the best results.
Lee Hae-in broke her personal best in the short program and free skating, taking first place in both.
Kim Ye-rim overcame her deteriorating condition and performed cleanly in the free skating to finish in third place. Immediately after his performance, he held a ceremony by waving his right hand fist, then burst into tears and smiled broadly at his national teammates.
Cha Jun-hwan took second place in the short program and first place in the free skating, playing a decisive role in beating Japan by one point and winning overall runner-up.
Lee Si-hyeong (22, Korea University), who competed in the men’s singles, played the role of the national team’s ‘cheerleader’. He didn’t get a high score, but he led the national team’s cheer and raised the atmosphere.
Korea has the youngest average age (20 years old) among the six teams participating in this tournament.
Among the national team players, only Cha Jun-hwan, who participated in the team event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, had experience in the team event.
And that’s not all. Ice dance team Haena Lim (19) and Quanye (22 years old and above) was the first senior competition. Cho Hye-jin (17) and Stephen Adcock (27), who competed in the pairs event, made their debut in an international competition.
Korea overcame the problem of lack of experience with spirit, confidence and joy.
After finishing the short program on the 14th, Cha Jun-hwan said, “As this is our first participation in this competition, we asked them to skate while having fun. Our team is the youngest and most passionate team. We are very excited.”
After the festival, the national figure skating team will return to Korea through Gimpo International Airport on the 17th after attending the gala show on the 16th.