⛸️ Cup of China Short Program Roundup! Lee Haein 6th, Seo Min-kyu 10th - 2026.11.07 | Figure Skating

Hello, fans! ⛸️

The Cup of China short program results are finally here. Here's the rundown from the 2026–2027 ISU Grand Prix 3rd event held at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre on the 6th! 🇨🇳

💙 Lee Haein Starts 6th in the Short Program

Lee Haein earned 34.86 in technical elements and 32.63 in program components, for a total of 67.49 points, placing 6th out of 12 skaters ^[1]. She was 9.41 points short of her ISU-recognized personal best of 76.90, but she is aiming for a medal spot in the free skate ^[3].

Her first jump, the triple Axel, was landed, but she received a quarter landing call and lost 1.14 in GOE ^[2]. The combination of triple Lutz-triple toe loop was the disappointment. The triple Lutz was downgraded to a single jump, which was treated as an unnecessary element, costing her 2.10 in GOE and leaving her with only 2.10 for that element ^[1] 😢

Still, Lee Haein regained her footing! She performed the flying camel spin at Level 4, and the triple flip in the bonus period earned 1.29 in GOE, helping her steady the performance ^[4]. She finished with the sit spin and change foot combination spin (both Level 4) and the step sequence (Level 3) without any further mistakes 👏 ^[5]

She trails leader Chiba Mone (76.08) by 8.59 points. Since she is within reach of the podium, let's hope for a comeback in the free skate! 🙏

🔥 Seo Min-kyu Trips Up on the Quad Salchow

Seo Min-kyu scored 40.64 in TES and 39.13 in PCS, for 79.77 points, placing 10th out of 12 in the short program ^[1]. After winning bronze in his senior debut at the first event, he was aiming for another medal, but the gap with the leaders grew in the short program ^[6].

The biggest setback was his opening element, the quad salchow. He performed it as a double-rotation jump, which was treated as an unnecessary element and scored 0 points ^[1]. He then settled in with a clean triple Axel (GOE 1.94) and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination (GOE 1.51), and all three of his spins were Level 4 ^[1]. He trails Japan's Miura, who led with 102.90, by 23.13 points, so how much he can recover in the free skate will be key ^[2].

Seo's ISU-recognized personal best is 86.68. If his quad jumps become more consistent, a comeback is very possible, so we're looking forward to what comes next 💪