Kim Hyun-gyeom, national figure skating men's singles representative, did not pass the ISU Figure Junior Grand Prix Final 2022 2023 selection, but gained time to focus on triple axel practice and completed 'quadruple toe' to jump in performance.
Kim Hyeon-gyeom, the national figure skating representative, is smiling while holding his skates in his arms at a cafe near Taereung Athletes' Village in Seoul on the 18th. Kim Hyun-gyeom, who became the first Korean male singles athlete to win a silver medal at the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix Final, will challenge for the first Korean male singles medal at the 2024 Gangwon Youth Winter Olympics.
Kim Hyeon-gyeom (17, Han Advertising), the national figure skating men's singles representative, rarely gets cold. Although the outside temperature had fallen below minus 10 degrees, he took off his jumper without hesitation because he said, 'I wish I could take pictures outdoors without a coat.' Kim Hyeon-gyeom also inherited his musical ability from his mother, who majored in piano, and his athletic ability from his father, who ran a kendo gym in his youth. So, it can be said that it was fate that I encountered figure skating, where people move their bodies to music on cold ice.
Kim Hyun-gyeom won a silver medal in the men's singles at the International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix Final for the 2023-2024 season, which ended in Beijing, China on the 9th. It was the best result ever achieved by a Korean male singles player in this competition. Previously, ‘figure skating prince’ Cha Jun-hwan (22, Korea University) finished third in the 2016 competition, which was the highest ranking.
Until last year, Kim Hyun-gyeom was not convinced that figure skating was my destiny. So was his family. Kim Hyun-gyeom's family moved from Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul to Cheongna International City in Incheon last year. The distance from home to the national team training site, Taereung Indoor Ice Rink in Seoul, doubled from about 30km to 60km. This is the opposite of the movement of many figure skaters to Byeolnae New Town in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, which is close to Taereung. Kim Hyun-gyeom said, “It was unthinkable for me to be selected for the national team because I had many outstanding brothers,” and added, “Even in the domestic competition, I was ranked 5th at best.”
To be selected as a member of the national figure skating team, you must rank in the top 4 in the first and second selection rounds each season. However, players participating in the Junior Grand Prix are selected through a separate selection process. Kim Hyun-gyeom made his Junior Grand Prix debut in the 2021-2022 season, but did not pass the selection round in the 2022-2023 season. Kim Hyun-gyeom said, “I thought it was a good thing that I couldn’t participate in the international competition. This is because he gained time to focus on practicing the ‘triple Axel’ (3.5 turns). “I think he was able to advance to the (Junior Grand Prix) finals through the butterfly effect of performing the triple axel,” he said.
Kim Hyun-gyeom succeeded in a triple axel at the figure skating comprehensive championships held in January of this year and the second national team selection event for the 2023-2024 season, ranking second after Cha Jun-hwan. Kim Hyun-gyeom eventually achieved his dream of winning the Taegeuk title by placing 4th in total in the first and second rounds of selection. Since then, Kim Hyun-gyeom's mother has been driving the 120km round trip from Cheongna, Incheon to Taereung every day, except for one day a week, Sunday.
With his mother's support, Kim Hyun-gyeom even completed the 'Quadruple (4 rotations) Sat'. Kim Hyun-gyeom placed the quadruple toe as the first jump in this season's free skating program, winning a silver medal at the 2nd Junior Grand Prix competition and a gold medal at the 5th competition. However, he failed this jump in the final stage and missed out on the gold medal. Kim Hyun-gyeom said, “It was a big match (I placed first in the short program and was the last in the free skating order), so I was nervous for a long time and my legs lost strength. “I think this is why experience is important.”
Kim Hyun-gyeom will now challenge for a medal at the 2024 Gangwon Youth Winter Olympics. No Korean male singles player has yet won a medal in this competition. Kim Hyun-gyeom said, “It’s my first time participating in such a big competition, so I feel like I’m walking a tightrope. But that's why I'm trying to be more calm. “I had a lot of regrets from the Junior Grand Prix Final, so I want to do it without regrets this time,” he said. 스포츠토토맨