Lee Hae-in (21, Korea University) and Shin Ji-a (18, Sehwa Girls' High School) finished their first Olympic appearances with no regrets. They did not reach the podium, but both athletes left personal achievements and confirmed the potential of Korean women's figure skating.
Lee Hae-in scored 74.15 in technical elements (TES), 66.34 in program components (PCS) and a total of 140.49 in the women's singles free skate at the 2026 Milan·Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics held on the 20th (KST) at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy. Adding the short program score of 70.07, her total was 210.56, placing her eighth overall among 24 skaters. She recorded season bests in both the short and free programs, producing a top-10 result in her first Olympics.
Lee Hae-in began her performance to Bizet's opera "Carmen." She stably landed her first element, the double axel–triple toe loop combination, and executed the triple salchow and triple loop cleanly. In the latter bonus section she finished the triple lutz and the triple flip–double axel sequence cleanly, delivering a performance without major mistakes. She received level 4 for the flying camel spin, the change foot combination spin and the step sequence, maintaining concentration through the end of the program. After finishing her routine, Lee Hae-in held a solid rank in the upper middle of the standings even with remaining competitors yet to skate.
Shin Ji-a also produced a meaningful result. She received TES 75.05 and PCS 65.97 for a free skate score of 141.02, a personal best in the free skate. With a short program score of 65.66, her total was 206.68, placing her 11th overall. She made up for the jump mistakes in the short program with her free skate, finishing her first senior Olympics on a positive note.
Performing to Franz Liszt's "Liebesträume," Shin Ji-a stably executed the double axel and the triple lutz–triple toe loop combination. The triple salchow was also clean, but she wobbled on the triple loop landing and received some deductions. She then handled the later combination jumps steadily and landed the final triple lutz, succeeding in setting a personal best.
The gold medal at this event went to the United States' Alysa Liu. She posted a total of 226.79, overturning the standings from third in the short program to win the free skate. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto took the silver with 224.90, and Ami Nakai, who was first in the short program, claimed the bronze with a total of 219.16. Alysa Liu's victory is the first U.S. women's singles gold since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, 24 years ago.
Although they did not reach the podium, Lee Hae-in once again proved she is strong in big competitions, and Shin Ji-a showed growth potential by setting a personal best in the free skate on the Olympic stage. Both skaters will use their first Olympic experience as a steppingstone toward their next stages. The Olympic figure skating competition concludes after the gala, and Korea's Cha Jun-hwan is also scheduled to compete.
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