- Joined
- Apr 4, 2016
Go Dabin! What an awesome victory for her! If she keeps up this consistency there is nowhere for her to go but up!
i can't find her sp at the asian winter cup. anyone can help?
Choi Da-bin thanks Yuna for mentorship
Korean teen figure skater Choi Da-bin on Tuesday thanked former Olympic champion Kim Yuna for helping her through the recent world championships.
The 17-year-old posted a new personal best score of 191.11 points at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki last Friday.
By finishing 10th overall, Choi also clinched two spots for Korea in the ladiesā singles at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. Skaters finishing in the top two at the world championships bring home three Olympic tickets, while those finishing from third to 10th each earn two Olympic berths for their countries.
Upon returning home from Finland, Choi, the only Korean in the ladiesā singles there, said she was feeling so much pressure that she ānearly criedā after completing her short program.ā
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āAfter I finished my free skate, I didnāt even look at other skaters and just waited for everyone to finish,ā Choi told reporters at Incheon International Airport. āAnd when I heard Iād finished in 10th place, I was extremely happy.ā
By setting a new personal record, Choi now owns the second-highest score by a Korean female skater, after the 228.56 points by Kim.
And Choi said Kim has been of great help along the way.
āShe has been giving me advice on my jumping and breathing techniques,ā Choi said. āAfter this competition, she congratulated me on my result.ā
Choi had an excellent finish to the 2016-2017 season. In February, she finished fifth at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Korea with the then-personal best score of 182.41 points. She broke that mark with 187.54 points to win the gold medal at the Sapporo Asian Winter Games later in February.
Choi became the first Korean figure skater to win an Asian Games gold then, but said Tuesday the world championships were still āthe most important competition of my career.ā
āI was even happier (at the worlds) than at the Asian Winter Games,ā Choi said with a smile.
Though she brought home two Olympic tickets, Choi herself isnāt guaranteed a spot. She has to go through the national team trials like everyone else this summer.
āIāll try to address my shortcomings in every element, be it jumps, spins or steps,ā she said. āMy skate boots have been loose since the Four Continents and Iāve had to tape them to perform. Iāve been fortunate not to have made mistakes, and Iāll have to fix that during the offseason.
As for her new programs, Choi said she wonāt take any risks and will instead focus on fine-tuning what she can do best.
Here are some photos I took of Da-bin at World's in Helsinki... lovely performances in both SP and FS, she was a joy to watch... and so wonderful that she finished in top 10 to take home 2 places for the Korean ladies at the Olympics...