⛸️ Lee Hae-in's Triple Axel Draws Japanese Praise as "Kim Yuna 2.0" 🎉 This Week in Figure Skating - 2026.10.19 | Figure Skating

Hello, fans! 🙌

This week brought a flood of jumping news. Lee Hae-in's triple axel story has been hot not only in Korea but also in Japan ✨

🔥 Lee Hae-in's Triple Axel Wins Over Japan Too!

After Lee Hae-in posted a triple axel landing video on Instagram, the Japanese sports outlet 'The Digest' covered it in depth ^[1]. The outlet introduced the 21-year-old as "Kim Yuna 2.0" and said she landed a shocking, high-difficulty skill ^[1]. In the video, Lee builds up speed, launches forward, spins three and a half rotations, and lands without a wobble ^[1]. Local fans also cheered, asking "Is this even possible?" 😲 ^[2]

🧮 The Triple Axel by the Numbers!

The ISU base value of the triple axel is 8.00 points, while the double axel is only 3.30 ^[1]. Landing just one can earn over 10 points more than a competitor, making it one of the most anticipated skills in women's singles ^[1]. Interestingly, Kim Yuna also never landed a triple axel during her competitive career, scoring instead through the quality of her other triple jumps ^[1]. Lee is now taking on this skill at 21, when her growth is complete, to polish her execution 💪

📉 Tough Calls, But the Challenge Continues!

At the Nebela Memorial in Bratislava in late September, Lee put the triple axel in both programs. She fell in the short program but landed it in the free skate, and covered her face with both hands in emotion mid-performance 🥹 ^[1]. However, under-rotation calls reduced the base value by 20% to 6.40, and a GOE deduction brought the element's score to 5.12 ^[1]. It has not yet reached a fully clean landing ^[4].

At the selection trials for the 2027 Changchun Winter Universiade on the 15th in Gimhae, she also attempted the triple axel and received the same under-rotation call. Still, she placed 2nd in the short program with 60.04 points, and 2nd overall with a total of 184.66 points ^[1]. Yu Young took first place that day ^[2]. In the free skate, she intended to open with the triple axel but it went wrong, and she settled for a single axel ^[1].

Lee is set to compete in the 3rd Grand Prix event in China and the 5th in Finland this season ^[2]. The key now is landing it cleanly at international events without under-rotation or quarter-landing calls 🙏 ^[1]

🌟 Spotlight on the Next Generation of Men's Skating: Choi Ha-bin!

Sisa Journal named Cha Jun-hwan as a next-generation leader in 2017, and nine years later Choi Ha-bin is drawing attention as the new prospect to follow in his footsteps ^[3]. Choi first competed at the Junior Grand Prix Final last December and finished 6th of 6, but a year later he returns to the same stage ranked 4th in the series ^[3]. He secured 4th place in the series after the 7th event in Gdansk, Poland, on October 11, with 26 ranking points from a 2nd-place win and a 4th-place bronze this season ^[3].

His weapon is the quadruple Lutz. Last September at the 3rd Junior Grand Prix event, he became the first Korean skater to land it, winning silver with a personal best of 232.19 points ^[3]. This season he has increased the number of quadruple Lutzes in his free skate to two ^[3]. He will contest the title against five skaters, including Lev Lazarev (Individual Neutral Athlete), at the final in Chongqing, China in December ^[3]. Exciting times ahead! 🥇

This week, the challenges on the ice truly shone. See you next time with more news, fans! 💙