Hannah Lim and Ye Quan: “When we were juniors, we focused more on skating faster and performing stronger programs. Now, we focus more on the feeling of skating together.”
Translation of the Hannah Lim and Ye Quan’s comments about their first full senior season and goals for Worlds.
original source: mfocus.kr dd. 9th February 2024 by Hyunjin Kim
Translation of the comments made by Hannah Lim and Ye Quan in an interview for mfocus.kr
Q: How would you evaluate this season for yourselves?
Ye Quan: I’m really, really proud. It’s our first season as seniors, and I think it’s a great thing to have the opportunity to compete in many competitions, from Grand Prix to Challengers to Championships. I think it’s a huge privilege and I’m really grateful. I’m very proud of our development from junior to now.
Hannah Lim: I’m really happy. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to compete in so many competitions. Also, being able to skate as representatives of Korea feels very special.
Q: Your goal for this season was to “make a lasting impression on others.” With only the World Championships left, do you think you have achieved that goal?
Ye Quan: Our goal was to create a memorable performance through powerful storytelling and strong skating, and I think we’ve done well. I feel like we are moving in a good direction.
Hannah Lim: I’m really happy. It’s great to hear from fans that our program is really good and memorable. It makes me feel like we did well.
Q: You’ve talked a lot about wanting to show more mature skating. Were there any specific areas you focused on to express that maturity?
Hannah Lim: When I was a junior, I focused more on skating faster and performing stronger programs. I didn’t pay much attention to connecting with Ye. We just skated separately and did more energetic programs. But now, I focus more on the feeling of skating “together.”
Ye Quan: When I was a junior, I focused more on expressing myself.
Hannah Lim: It was more like “each doing their own thing.” When I was a junior, I performed with a feeling of “I’m here, look at me.”
Ye Quan: But seniors are more complex. The connection between partners is important.
Q: What is your goal for the upcoming World Championships?
Ye Quan: First, I hope to compete in the free dance, and I aim to finish within the top 15.
Q: How do you plan to prepare in the remaining time?
Ye Quan: I want to make the technical aspects more consistent and powerful. I want to make the pattern step more solid and precise. Also, I want to develop our performance so that everyone can enjoy it more.
Hannah Lim: I’m a bit worried that if we don’t do well in the rhythm dance, we won’t qualify for the free dance.
Q: What is the most challenging technical element? Ye mentioned the twizzles, right?
Ye Quan: It’s less of a concern now, but during the ranking and overall competitions, the twizzles were quite burdensome.
Hannah Lim: I find the pattern dance challenging. In the pattern dance, we always have to be in contact. If we separate, we lose points. It’s always difficult to hold onto each other. For example, when we change hands, we can’t just change hands; we have to touch the other hand and then release the hand we were holding. But I keep forgetting.
Q: How far along is the process of obtaining citizenship?
Ye Quan: The Korean Skating Union recommended me to the government, so it seems to be in the hands of the government now. During the ranking competition, I went to the immigration office with the documents. The next step is an interview, but I have to wait until they inform me of the interview date. I’ve heard that there might not be another opportunity, so I’m studying Korean hard. It’s a lot of pressure, but I will do my best. The challenging part right now is not knowing when the interview will be scheduled.
Related topics: Hannah Lim Ye Quan
Leave a Reply