Lee Hae-in Posts Season Best in Olympic Debut, Eyes Free Skate

"My legs were shaking. I hope to have more fun in the free skate."

Lee Hae-in (21, Korea University), who secured her ticket to Milan after a tumultuous journey, posted her season best at her first Olympic appearance, raising expectations for her free skate performance.

At the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics figure skating women's single short program held at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on February 18 (Korea time), Lee scored 70.07 points with a technical element score (TES) of 37.61 and a program component score (PCS) of 32.46. She raised her previous season best of 67.06 points by 3.01 points to set a new personal record, finishing 9th among 29 skaters and securing a spot in the free skate, which features 24 competitors.

Lee is a decorated skater with a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships and gold at the Four Continents Championships. In 2024, she became embroiled in controversy involving alcohol consumption and alleged harassment of a junior teammate during national team overseas training, receiving a three-year suspension. She returned to competition after a court granted an injunction suspending the disciplinary action. She secured her Olympic berth with a come-from-behind performance at the national team selection trials.

"I regret not being able to properly execute the connecting movement after my blade got stuck in the ice during the landing of my first triple combination jump," Lee said. "But even while nervous, I focused more on the sensation of my feet on the ice. I think I did well since there were no major mistakes."

She added, "There were difficult times, but I performed while recalling how I practiced during those moments."

Shin Ji-a (18, Sehwa Girls' High School) fell during a jump landing and finished with 65.66 points in 14th place. Japan's Nakai Ami took first place with 78.71 points, while compatriot Sakamoto Kaori placed second with 77.23 points. Alysa Liu of the United States ranked third with 76.59 points. The medal-deciding free skate begins at 3 a.m. (Korea time) on February 20.