You Young: “Now, I realize nothing is guaranteed. After being forced to sit out last year and taking a long break, every moment on the ice feels so precious, even if it’s hard.”
You Young reflects on her challenging year away from competition, her return to the ice, and the renewed gratitude and motivation she’s found in skating.
original source: mfocus.kr dd.29th November 2025 by Lee Min-jun
In an interview with MFocus, Young You opens up about her struggles during a year-long suspension, the emotional and physical journey back to competition, and the lessons she’s learned about resilience, self-worth, and the true meaning of skating. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on MFocus.
“Q: Fans are probably most curious about how you spent this off-season.
Young You: I was on and off the ice for a while, but I started skating properly again from July.
Q: From July? (Surprised) Can you tell us a bit about how you’re training these days?
Young You: These days, my coach pushes me hard when I need it, and lets me rest when I need to, so I’m adjusting my condition. Since I started preparing later than other skaters, I’m training a bit harder, but I think that’s why I was able to come up a little at this competition. I still have a long way to go, but my coach is managing things well, and I’m practicing hard.
Q: From your perspective, Young, what helped you come back?
Young You: Honestly, I had almost no desire to skate again. When I was at my lowest, coach said, “If you’re going to do it, you have to come out and skate.” So I went to the rink. Luckily, even after a month or a month and a half off, my jumps were still okay. I felt relieved, thinking, “My jumps are better than I thought,” and coach kept watching and developing me.
As I saw myself improving, I started to want to skate again. Coach kept motivating me, saying, “Getting better is for yourself. Staying where you are now isn’t good for you.” Hearing that made me work harder.
Q: It really seems like you two have great chemistry.
Young You: It didn’t happen overnight. We haven’t been together that long, but so much has happened in that short time. We’ve built empathy and have clear goals, which gives us strength.
Q: After a month and a half off, you started training again. What’s been the hardest part, and what’s been easiest?
Young You: The hardest part is stamina. I’m working hard, but I still feel I’m lacking. Still, compared to the France event, I’m less out of breath and feel a bit stronger, so that’s gotten easier.
But compared to my peak, I’m still far from where I want to be, so I need to build more stamina.
Q: You couldn’t compete for a year due to suspension. Many people felt for you. How did you spend that year, and what kind of training did you do during that time?
Young You: I barely trained. Really. Maybe once a month, just enough to keep my body moving, and for three or four months – almost half a year – I didn’t skate at all.
As I recall, I got back on the ice last winter, around December or January. From then, I started skating just one session a day, gradually increasing the time and rebuilding my body.
Q: We heard you worked part-time jobs during that year. This year, you’re balancing daily life, training, and school. How are you managing it all?
Young You: Last year was my first time working part-time, and it was really tough. Having only done figure skating, everything else felt so difficult.
But it was a good experience. I made coffee at a café, took orders at a kiosk – when else would I get to do that? All my college-age peers work part-time, so I thought, “It can’t hurt to try this too.” I tried various jobs, and it was fun in its own way.
But I also struggled emotionally. I often thought, “I want to compete, but here I am just making coffee – what am I doing?” That made me realize how precious skating is to me. In the past, competing felt overwhelming, and I just wanted it to be over quickly.
But this season, every competition felt so precious. I’m so grateful to my coach. Looking back at last year, it feels like a miracle that I’m here now. That’s how hard last year was. Fortunately, I’m not working part-time this year and can focus solely on training and school.
Q: This might be a sensitive question, but in terms of results and program content, people think of the You Young from the Beijing Olympics. Compared to then, what do you want to improve, and what do you want to develop further?
Young You: Back then, my program content was really high, my speed was good, and I didn’t run out of stamina at the end.
This year, because I took time off and started preparing late, my stamina isn’t where it used to be, so I need to work on that.
What’s changed since Beijing is my mindset and attitude toward competitions. Back then, I didn’t really think about anything – skating, competing, doing well – it all felt “normal.”
But now, I realize nothing is guaranteed. After being forced to sit out last year and taking a long break, every moment on the ice feels so precious, even if it’s hard. Watching other skaters compete was tough, and I went through a hard time.
So now, even if I’m nervous, I try to stay focused and enjoy it as much as possible, just like my coach says.
Q: Watching your jumps now, you look lighter than you did at Beijing or after. It must have been tough to get to this condition. How did you prepare for this season, and what are your plans going forward?
Young You: After Beijing, there was a period where I gained a lot of weight. I just ate a lot and rested.
But after going through a tough time last year, I lost a lot of weight. After meeting Coach Ji Eun, I’d already lost a lot of body fat and muscle, so I trained to lose more fat and rebuild muscle.
Q: Let’s talk about your gala program. Could you introduce it?
Young You: Honestly, I made the gala program on the spot today. Really. I was so busy preparing the short and free that I had no time to prepare a gala. I just had the music ready, and during morning practice, I listened to it and made up the choreography on the spot.
The music is “My Love Mine All Mine,” a pretty famous song. The lyrics mean, “I may not have anything else in the world, but my love is truly mine.”
I listened to it a lot last year, and it comforted and consoled me, so it means a lot to me. That’s why I chose it; it has a lot of meaning for me.
Q: Is there a message you want to share with others through this program?
Young You: Last year, I often felt like “there’s nothing I can do.” Skating was all I could do, and when I couldn’t even do that, I was lost. That’s why I was drawn to this song.
There are other reasons, but it’s hard to talk about them in detail. I hope that when people watch this program, they feel, “If you have even one thing you truly love, that’s enough.” You don’t need many things – just one person, one thing, one passion that you can’t live without can be a huge source of strength.
Q: For you, that “one thing” is skating. Lastly, do you have a message for your fans?
Young You: Thank you so much for never giving up on me and waiting for me. Even after my break last year, so many people supported me at this competition and waved the Korean flag – it really warmed my heart.
That support gave me strength, and it was a huge reason I was able to endure last year’s hardships.
This season, I’m skating for my fans, but even more, I want to show you an even better version of myself. I’ll keep working hard and hope to see you again with even better performances.”
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