Chaeyeon Kim: “I dream of showcasing my very best performance at the Winter Olympics. I’ll do everything I can to ensure that South Korean figure skating experiences a new spring.”
Interview with Chaeyeon Kim.
original source: Naver dd. Feb 26th 2025 by Lim Jeong-woo
In an Interview posted on Naver, Chaeyeon Kim talks about this season as well as preparation for the Olympics. Here’s a translation.
In an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper on January 25, Kim shared her resolute determination. “To compete successfully at Milan-Cortina, I postponed my university plans. As a figure skater, I dream of showcasing my very best performance at the Winter Olympics. I’ll do everything I can to ensure that South Korean figure skating experiences a new spring.”
“I graduated from high school last month, but I believe it’s impossible to excel in skating while trying to do everything else I want at the same time. I’ve decided to temporarily set aside academics and university life and focus solely on figure skating. Like I’ve done until now, I’ll proceed steadily and calmly,” she said.
Ranked 3rd in the women’s world figure skating standings, Chaeyeon Kim showed impressive performances at the Harbin Winter Asian Games and the Four Continents Championships, breaking her personal best score twice and rapidly rising as a strong contender for Olympic gold.
Kim admitted to feeling pressure to achieve such high scores but credited her extensive preparation. “It’s true that there was a burden to perform well. But I trained every day for 7–8 hours, focusing on refining jumps and perfecting my skills. Trusting myself and staying focused helped me deliver performances without regret, and when the results turned out well, I couldn’t have been happier,” she said with a smile.
Kim began figure skating relatively late, in 5th grade, compared to most skaters who typically decide to pursue the sport seriously by ages 6–7. Realizing that training the same way as other skaters wouldn’t help her close the gap in skills, Kim devoted herself to studying her movements each night using her competition footage.
“Just like Go (baduk) players review matches after they’re over, I would carefully analyze every detail of my movements after training, even the smallest ones,” she explained. “I believed that I needed to recognize my weaknesses precisely to address them quickly. Those extra hours after practice played a crucial role in helping me break multiple personal records.”
“Until the World Championships in March, my approach will remain unchanged. For the 2025–2026 season leading up to the Winter Olympics, I’m considering some changes in my jump layout. My goal is to prepare in a way that allows me to earn the highest possible scores without risking injury,” she told.
Kim also shared her heartfelt wish to bring smiles to her father and mother once again. Reflecting on the Harbin Winter Asian Games, she said, “One of the happiest moments was seeing my dad unable to hide his excitement. If I do well at the Winter Olympics, I think he’ll smile even brighter.” She also confirmed her plan to continue competing in a skating costume hand-sewn by her mother.
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