Chaeyeon Kim: “Three days before leaving for Worlds, I was in a car accident. My lower back wasn’t in great shape, and this compounded the issues, which I think affected my overall condition.”
Chaeyeon Kim about her performances at the 2025 World Championships.
original source: mfocus.kr dd. March 30th 2025 by Park Jimin
Chaeyeon Kim finished the competition in tenth place with a total of 194.16 points. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on MFocus.
Speaking in an interview the next day after the free program, Kim described her performance as a “50-point competition.”
“Managing conditions is one of the challenges for athletes, but I don’t think I handled it well this time. When my condition wasn’t great, I think my mental control wavered as well,” she admitted. Still, Kim reflected positively on having safely finished the competition: “I want to award myself some credit for completing the event without major issues, so I’d give it a 50.”
Clutching her lower back during practice and warm-ups, Chaeyeon Kim revealed that she had faced difficulties due to worsened back pain following a traffic accident just days before the competition. “After the Four Continents, I was working to improve my condition, but three days before leaving for the World Championships, I was in a car accident. My lower back wasn’t in great shape, and this compounded the issues, which I think affected my overall condition,” she shared.
Arriving in the U.S. with lingering worries about her condition, Kim reflected on her mindset for the short program: “I think I was even more nervous during the short program.” Despite some minor mistakes, she took a more relaxed approach to the free skating program, thinking, “Let me show what I can do with peace of mind.” When asked by a journalist if she felt relaxed afterward, Kim responded, “Saying I felt completely at ease would probably be a lie, but I think the valuable experience of competing in such a major event will serve as a stepping stone for next season.”
When asked to share three things she would praise herself for this season, Kim said: “I’d compliment myself for safely completing big competitions like the Asian Games and the Four Continents Championships, for focusing more on what I needed to do compared to last season, and lastly, for pushing through the season without suffering any major injuries.”
Heading into the upcoming Olympic season, she plans to focus on enhancing the quality of her techniques and preparing new programs. “I plan to train even harder and build programs centered on what I do best, while also incorporating new elements to show another side of myself,” she told.
Related topics: Chaeyeon Kim, world championship
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