Shin Ji‑a Sets Personal Best in Olympic Debut, Eyes Triple Axel Future
Updated (2 articles)
Olympic Free Skate Yields 141.02 Points Shin Ji‑a earned a personal‑best 141.02 in the free skate, bringing her total to 206.68, just 1.77 points shy of her season best, despite a wobble on a triple‑loop landing [1].
Short Program Established Strong Foundation In the short program she posted 65.66 points, laying a solid base for her overall score and contributing to her confidence heading into the free skate [1].
Emotional Reaction Highlights Confidence and Pride The 17‑year‑old celebrated with a rare fist pump, saying she had no regrets and felt proud after delivering her best performance, noting that reminding herself jumps were easy steadied her nerves [1].
Future Goals Include Triple Axel and Next Olympics Shin expressed motivation to qualify for the 2030 Games and intends to add a triple axel to her repertoire, viewing the Olympic experience as a springboard for further development [1].
Team Event Experience and Gelato Reward She previously competed in the team event on Feb 6, and her coach promised a pistachio gelato treat after the competition, underscoring the supportive atmosphere surrounding her debut [1].
Timeline
2022 – Madison Chock and Evan Bates win the U.S. team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics, a milestone Lim cites as proof that ice‑dance teams can climb rankings over multiple Games [2].
2024 – Quan Ye obtains Korean citizenship, allowing the pair to represent South Korea in international competition and setting the stage for their 2026 Olympic debut [2].
Late 2025 – Hannah Lim writes five drafts of a short story based on her Olympic free‑dance, translating choreography into sensory‑rich prose and aiming to publish it before the Games [2].
Jan 2026 – Lim’s manager reviews the story manuscript for grammar, delaying its release; Lim stresses the narrative will give viewers “something special” and hopes it appears before the competition [2].
Feb 6, 2026 – Shin Ji‑a competes in the Olympic team event for South Korea, delivering a solid short program that steadies her nerves for the individual competition later in the Games [1].
Feb 6, 2026 – Hannah Lim and Quan Ye skate the rhythm dance of the Olympic team event to a Will Smith “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” track, emphasizing that they want audiences to “remember our performance” rather than chase medals [2].
Feb 7, 2026 – Lim and Quan perform their free‑dance in the team event, interpreting Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Fabian’s “Adagio,” and Lim notes that reading her pre‑written narrative will give viewers “something special” before they watch the routine [2].
Feb 9, 2026 – Lim and Quan skate the rhythm dance of the individual Olympic competition, continuing their storytelling theme while acknowledging they are not medal contenders [2].
Feb 11, 2026 – Lim and Quan complete the free‑dance of the individual event, concluding their Olympic debut; Lim cites Chock‑Bates as a model of long‑term growth, saying “they showed how ice‑dance athletes improve over multiple Olympics” [2].
Mid‑Feb 2026 – Shin Ji‑a lands a wobbly triple‑loop in the free skate but posts a personal‑best 141.02 points, raising her total to 206.68 and finishing 1.77 points shy of her season best; she celebrates with a fist pump and declares, “I’m proud to set a new personal best at the Olympics” [1].
Feb 2026 (post‑competition) – Shin’s coach promises a pistachio gelato reward, and Shin says she “has no regrets” and will use the Olympic experience to motivate future training [1].
2030 Winter Olympics (future) – Shin Ji‑a targets qualification for the next Olympics and plans to add a triple axel to her program, stating her goal is to “qualify for the next Olympics and add a triple axel” [1].