Korean figure skating has produced several male and female singles stars, such as Yuna Kim (32) and Junhwan Cha (21), but there has been no significant performance in ice dancing. In the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin’s team participated, but they were far from medals. However, from last season, Im Hae-na (18) and Ye-kwan (21) appeared and rewrote Korean ice dance history without hesitation. 스포츠토토

In the 2021-2022 season, he won the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix and won the first ISU (International Skating Union) competition in Korean ice dance, and added gold and silver medals this season. In the Junior Grand Prix Series, where only the top 6 teams compete in order of performance, last month, they entered the Junior Grand Prix Final for the first time in Korea and won a silver medal.

Im Hae-na, whose parents are from Korea, was born in Canada and has dual Korean-Canadian citizenship. She is a Chinese-Canadian. She recently met the two athletes in Seoul, who came to Korea ahead of the National Men’s and Women’s Figure Skating Comprehensive Championships, which opened in Uijeongbu on the 5th. They showed various poses throughout the photo shoot, and each time they decided on a pose, they would have a serious conversation with each other.

Lim Hae-na and Ye-kwan, who met at the Montreal Ice Academy in 2019 and became partners, said, “Thanks to our efforts to communicate better with each other, we were able to grow significantly this season.” Since 2021, they have been participating in ISU competitions as Korean representatives. In ISU competitions, one of the two athletes of the same group may choose one nationality to compete. “When we don’t get along well, the coaches notice just by looking at our performance.” (Ye Kwan) “As we found a way to solve problems together without being rude or criticizing, our relationship improved and our skating skills grew.” ( Lim Hae-na)

This season, I got fans and my social media followers increased. “In Italy, where the Grand Prix Final was held, I met Koreans who cheered us on and asked for our autographs. It was a wonderful experience for the first time!” (Hae-na Lim) “People from America, Japan, and Italy cheered us on. I gained confidence to continue the hard training.