Korea's new figure skating sensation

Kudos to Choi Ha-bin!

The 16-year-old figure skater achieved a stunning upset victory in the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Riga, Latvia, last week. He finished fifth in the short program after making a mistake on his second jump combination. However, his spellbinding performance in the free program propelled him to a come-from-behind victory. He earned a personal-best score of 170.20 points, nearly eight points shy of the score earned by last year’s World Championship winner, Rio Nakata.

Videos showcasing his performances have since gone viral.

His victory has also brought encouraging news. Overseas experts have begun comparing Choi to reigning world champion Ilia Malinin. Known among Korean figure skating fans as the “Quad God” for his mastery of highly difficult jumps, Malinin, a 2026 Olympic Games team event gold medalist and three-time world champion, is a living legend in figure skating.

Ted Barton, a commentator featured on the ISU’s Skating YouTube channel, praised Choi for his marvelous free skate.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to find the words in any language to describe what you have just seen. Remarkable, extraordinary, unbelievable. Whatever you want to call it,” he said. “That was something we have not seen on the junior circuit technically for quite a while.”

Barton, a former Canadian skater, compared Choi to Malinin.

“He might be the skater that rotates the fastest, junior or senior. Now you’ve got to think of Ilia Malinin, but his speed of rotation is also extraordinary. Just wow,” he said.

As a long-time figure skating fan, I know one thing for certain about the sport: Becoming a skater like Malinin is one of the toughest things to achieve. This is particularly true for Korean skaters.

In Korea, there are no ice rinks exclusively dedicated to figure skaters. As a result, skaters often have to move from one rink to another, sometimes traveling from city to city, which means spending a great deal of time on the road.

Figure skating is a rare sport in which athletes must excel both artistically and technically. Mastering artistry while also being equally strong in every technical element, from jumps to spins, is extraordinarily difficult — if not seemingly impossible.

Kim Yuna was considered one of the greatest figure skaters of all time because she was one of those rare athletes who excelled in both areas.

She started from scratch, at a time when no Korean skater had won a major international competition. Her stunning victory at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics sparked a figure skating boom in Korea, inspiring countless children to take to the ice with dreams of becoming the next skating legend.

Choi is one of the skaters inspired by Kim.

Since his sensational debut three years ago, the teenager has dazzled skating fans who have longed for the emergence of another great Korean skater like Kim. He has not disappointed them, making steady progress year after year.

Choi has already made history in Korean figure skating. He is the first Korean skater to land a quadruple Lutz. At the recent ISU competition, he made history again by becoming the first Korean skater to successfully perform three quads in a free program.

He is reminiscent of an old saying: “A genius cannot beat one who tries, and one who tries cannot beat one who enjoys.” He may have been born to skate, but he is never content with his current achievements. He continues to push his limits.

His performance in the short program also suggested that he has worked tirelessly to overcome what had been considered a relative weakness in his choreography.

Skating to Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell, Choi executed wonderful knee slides. His arm movements and use of his upper body demonstrated his commitment to improving the non-jump elements of his skating.

Mark Hanretty, another commentator featured on the Skating ISU channel, praised Choi for the progress he has made this season.

“Ha-bin is renowned as being technically proficient. This program, to me, showcases an obvious commitment to the program component scores, the music choice, the stylization and the choreography,” he said.

“Obviously, the work he has done to try to showcase that he’s not only a technical element score skater. And it’s admirable, the improvements made in that department.”

Like other aspiring Olympians, Choi has four years to go before the 2030 Olympics in Italy. Although he clinched gold at the latest ISU Junior Grand Prix event, it will be an uphill battle for the teenager to reach the Olympic podium. His first major hurdle will be his senior debut next year.

The level of competition there will be entirely different. It will be a survival-of-the-fittest environment, where even the smallest mistakes can prove costly.

In the star-studded senior field, the race for the top spot will be much tougher than in junior competition. Skaters capable of landing multiple quads are rare in the junior ranks, and that is what makes Choi stand out. In senior competition, however, several top-tier athletes can execute multiple quads in both the short and free programs.

Skaters will be judged not only on their technical skills but also on their presentation and overall performance quality.

Since Kim Yuna, many Korean skaters have worked tirelessly in pursuit of an Olympic podium finish. So far, however, none have managed to achieve it. Korea’s Olympic medal drought in figure skating has continued since 2014.

I hope Choi can be a game changer. He has the potential to end Korea’s medal drought.

Fingers crossed for his continued success on the ISU circuit — and, ultimately, at the 2030 Olympics.

The author is an editorial writer for The Korea Times.