“I made my senior debut here at the NHK Trophy. Back then, everything seemed so big and frightening. But looking back, it wasn’t as big as I thought.” Seoyeong Wi about her performance at the Grand Prix series
Seoyeong Wi about her performance at the Grand Prix series 2024/2025.
original source: mfocus.kr dd. 9th November 2024 by Lee Min-jung / mfocus.kr dd. 8th November 2024 by Lee Min-jung
Seoyeong Wi shared her thoughts on her performance at the Grand Prix. She competed at Skate Canada and NHK Trophy. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on MFocus.
“In Canada (Skate Canada), I received quite a few under-rotation calls, which was disappointing, so I worked hard to improve on that, and I’m happy that it seems to have paid off. I feel that my performance is continuously improving, which is satisfying,” Seoyeong Wi told in in the mixed zone at NHK.
When asked what she was trying to work on after Skate Canada, Wi said, “My rotation and spin/step level weren’t going well, so I was trying to work on those things.”
The NHK Trophy was the first competition where she made her senior debut, so when asked how she feels about it, she said, “I made my senior debut here. Back then, everything seemed so big and frightening. But looking back, it wasn’t as big as I thought. At that time, it was the period of COVID-19, and it was the first time I came alone without my mother, which was quite scary.” She also did not forget to express her gratitude to the Korean fans who traveled a long distance, “I felt immense support from the crowd here. Hearing Korean in a foreign country made me feel supported and encouraged.”
This year marked a significant change for Seoyeong Wi as it was her first year balancing university life with her athletic career. When asked if it was challenging, she admitted, “It was really tough” and added, “I gave up on academics in the second semester because figure skating seemed more important right now, so I’m focusing on that.”
Asked why she had reused her earlier short program and free skating routines, Seoyeong Wi explained, “In the first semester, I was balancing academics, and there was no time to receive (new) choreographies. I thought I could reuse the short program (‘Viejos Aires’) as it had never been performed in an international competitions. For the free skating (‘Tristan and Isolde’), I was young when I originally performed it, and I thought it might feel different now that I’ve grown.”
Regarding her goals for the remaining season, Wi expressed, “I want to improve on my weaknesses and show a better performance in the latter half.” Asked about her expectations for the upcoming Universiade, for which her participation has been confirmed, she said, “It’s a big event for college students, so I hope to enjoy it and do well.”
Finally, when asked to send a message to the Korean fans who came to support her, she didn’t hide her appreciation, saying, “I saw more Korean flags and heard more cheering than yesterday (during the short program). Before starting, fans were shouting ‘Fighting!’, and I nodded internally, thinking, ‘I must fight on.’ It really gave me more strength.”
Related topics: grand prix, NHK Trophy, Wi Seoyeong
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