Shin Ji-ah Challenges for Gold at Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics: Rivalry with Mao Shimada

Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics opens today
‘Figure skating star’ Ji-ah Shin challenges for women’s singles gold medal
Rivalry with fellow Japanese Mao Shimada
“I have more jumping power than before… “Pay attention to details”
‘Figure skating star’ Shin Ji-ah dreams of becoming a ‘figure princess’ through the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, which opens on the 19th. Shin Ji-ah said, “I will do my best as much as I have practiced. “I hope many of her fans will visit her,” she said. Provided by the Korea Sports Council The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics will begin its two-week schedule on the 19th with an opening ceremony held at the Gangneung Ice Arena and Pyeongchang Dome. Even in youth competitions where athletes aged 15 to 18 participate, the ‘flower of the Winter Olympics’ is figure skating. Among Korean figure skaters, the closest to winning a gold medal at the Youth Olympics is ‘figure skating star’ Ji-ah Shin (16, Yeongdong Middle School), who will compete in the women’s singles competition starting on the 28th.

Shin Ji-ah solidified her position as ‘the best in the country’ by winning two consecutive wins at the National Men’s and Women’s All-Around Championships. She will challenge for the position of ‘World’s Strongest’ through the Youth Olympic Games, which is the first international competition in Korea in her career and her first individual international all-around competition. “She is preparing hard so that she can give ‘the performance of her life’ in this competition,” said Shin Ji-ah, whom we met recently at her agency’s office in Seoul. “She really wants to act clean,” she laughed.

Gangneung Ice Arena, the figure skating venue for this competition, was where the same event was held at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Shin Ji-ah, a fourth grader living in Busan at the time, ‘intuitively watched’ the men’s singles match with her mother. Shin Ji-ah said, “He felt that the players who showed the maximum of what they were capable of on the big stage were amazing, and I was honored to be able to stand on that rink.”

Shin Ji-ah, a fourth grade elementary school student, visited the figure skating stadium at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics six years ago. Provided by Shin Ji-ah Her father, who became a ‘separated family’, and her older brother, who is two years apart from each other, also come to cheer on this year’s Youth Olympics. Ji-ah Shin has been living with her mother in Seoul since she was in the 5th grade of elementary school, when she began her figure skating career in earnest. Shin Ji-ah laughed, saying, “My brother saw me skating a lot when I was a baby, but I never saw him compete after I grew up. Maybe it’s because we don’t see him often, but I have a good relationship with him.” He continued, “I think it will be a great help because many other family members and fans will also come. “I have a great desire to do well myself,” he said.

Just as ‘figure queen’ Yuna Kim (34) has had a rivalry with Japanese player Mao Asada of the same age since her junior days, Ji-ah Shin also has Mao Shimada (Japan), a player of the same age, as her rival. Shimada’s mother was a big fan of Asada and named her daughter Mao. The same goes for the Japanese player taking the lead first. ‘Little Yuna Kim’ Shin Ji-ah had to be satisfied with second place after being pushed out by ‘New Mao’ Shimada in both the 2022 and last year’s International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix Finals. The results of last year’s Junior World Championships were also gold for Shimada and silver for Shin Jia.

Shin Ji-ah reduced the score gap from 22.64 points at the Junior World Championships in March last year to 5.58 points at the Junior Grand Prix Final nine months later. If they perform ‘all clean’ at the Youth Olympics, it is a score difference that can be reversed. Shin Ji-ah said, “Having a rival makes me skate more passionately,” adding, “I try to pay more attention to details because I can get a lot of extra points for things such as long flow when landing jumps, spins, and musical expressions. “I gained a lot of strength in skating and jumping,” she said.

If Shin Ji-ah wins the gold medal, Korea will produce a gold medalist in the women’s figure skating singles for the second consecutive Youth Olympic Games, following Yoo Young (20) at the 2020 Lausanne Games. Shin Ji-ah said, “The expectations of those around her are high, so she feels pressured, but her gratitude is even greater. I think she just needs to overcome the pressure and enjoy it. She believes that there is no ‘obvious first place’ in any competition. “I will always approach it with a challenging mind,” she said.

Reporter Lim Bomi [email protected]

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