Haein Lee: “Making friends is another way to enjoy competitions.”
Article and interview with Haein Lee after the Four Continents 2023.
source: v.daum.net
“I lost my voice cheering for the guys. The chick sound was coming from me during the men’s competition.”
After winning the gold medal in women’s singles at the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, which was the first time in 14 years since Kim Yuna, Lee Haein (18) was busy cheering for the guys in the men’s singles competition.
Haein went to the men’s free skating competition and enjoyed cheering from the audience seats. It was to support Cha Junhwan (22), Lee Sihyeong (23), and others. Haein said, “Whenever the guys landed during the competition, there was someone screaming from the audience seats, and that was me,” and she laughed, saying, “It probably sounded like a chick. I shouted as loud as I could because they said they gain strength when I support them.”
In fact, Lee Sihyeong smiled widely after receiving the support from Haein and other female skaters before the competitions. Thanks to that, he completed his performance without any mistakes and received a good score. However, Haein said her throat was sore. “My throat hurt a lot. But whenever the audience recognized that it was me making the noise, they would take pictures. It was a fun experience.”
Haein showed strong mental resilience with a comeback victory at the Four Continents Championships. Although she remained in 6th place after the Short Program (69.13 points), she climbed to 1st place in the overall rankings (total score of 210.84 points) by setting a season-best score in the Free Skate (141.71 points). Her perfect performance, going from 6th to 1st place, was reminiscent of Kim Yuna during her competitive years. The composed manner in which the teenage girl calmly achieved her goals left a strong impression, as if she had an “adult” presence within her.
Nevertheless, Haein is still a “passionate 18-year-old.” While this is her first major championship victory, she considers this event even more special because she made friends, rather than just winning a gold medal. She mentioned that she had interacted closely with Japanese skaters at the post-competition party called “banquet.” She developed a close bond with Kao Miura, who claimed the 1st place in the men’s singles event at this competition. Both of them are of the same age, and Kao was the first to approach Haein to greet her.
The two communicated in each other’s languages. Haein utilized her limited knowledge of Japanese, and Kao did the same. Hae-n said, “Although I’m quite reserved, I wanted to have friendly relationships with skaters from other countries, and making friends is another way to enjoy competitions.” She expressed her excitement about the upcoming World Championships in Japan next month, where the thrill exceeds the pressure. Haein plans to study Japanese as she looks forward to visiting Japan for the first time. She said, “It will be my first time visiting Japan. I want to study Japanese so that I can have conversations with the Japanese skaters. I’m excited and looking forward to meeting them and having conversations as soon as possible. It will be so much fun!”
She is completely different when she appears on the ice. Even during the “gala show”, Haein’s 18-year-old sensibility was fully revealed. Dressed in a pink shirt and jeans, she created a lively atmosphere as she performed the choreography to the idol group IVE’s “After Like.” She even incorporated the hand gestures done by IVE in a stylish manner during the part that goes, “You and I~.”
During the gala show, Haein performed on stage alone, after practicing by herself. As a fan of IVE, she mentioned that “After Like” is her favorite song. After watching the “After Like” music video, she practiced the dance moves on her own.
“I like K-pop, and among them, I really enjoy dancing to ‘After Like.’ In the past, I only listened to the music, but when I dance along, it feels even more exciting.”
Recently, Haein’s diary has also become a hot topic. The diary that she revealed during an interview with a broadcasting company in middle school gained attention once again after she won the gold medal. The diary contained drawings of cartoon characters and recorded her experiences of hardship and happiness while practicing figure skating. Haein mentioned that she still writes in a diary.
“I never expected that my diary would be shown as it was during the past broadcast interview. I enjoyed drawing cartoon characters. Even now, when I’m going through a difficult time, I take out my diary to organize my thoughts. It seems like I fill up most pages completely. Although it can be challenging to write every day, it’s helpful for organizing my thoughts. Sometimes I write down unnecessary ‘TMI (Too Much Information)’ as well (laughs). There are times when I enjoy reading the diary like a book.”
What is Haein’s dream as a “romantic 18-year-old”? “I want to compete in the Olympics. In 2026, there will be the Milan Winter Olympics in Italy. I hope to achieve better results in other competitions with the goal of participating in that Olympics. When the time comes for me to compete in the Olympics, I’ll tell you my dream again.”
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