⛸️ Triple Axel Challenge & Olympic Ranking Correction: Figure Skating News for Nov. 4 🏅 - 2026.11.04 | Figure Skating

Hello, fans! ⛸️ The first week of November has already flown by, and this week brought plenty of exciting news from the ice. Today we have stories about a new challenge and an Olympic record correction! ❄️

🔥 Lee Hae-in Takes On the Triple Axel!

Lee Hae-in has shared her determination to attempt the Triple Axel ^[2]. Even after returning from the Olympics, she says it still hasn't fully sunk in, and that the experience has given her one more reason to keep moving forward ^[2]. Her words about needing to show a changed version of herself really touched us 🥹

The article summary also mentions her silver at the World Championships and her gold at the Four Continents Championships ^[2]. With such a big challenge ahead, we're already excited to see what kind of performance will bring her tears of joy ✨

🏅 Beijing Olympic Rankings Changed After Four Years!

The biggest talking point this week is the correction of the Beijing Olympic women's singles results ^[1]. After Russian skater Kamila Valieva's results were removed due to a doping violation, the Korean skaters each moved up one spot. Yoo Young moved from 6th to 5th, and Kim Ye-lim moved from 9th to 8th ^[1] ^[4].

According to the Korean Skating Union, the IOC sent an official letter to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee on the 30th of last month with the revised final rankings. Olympic diplomas were reallocated accordingly: Yoo Young received a 5th-place diploma instead of her 6th-place one, and Kim Ye-lim received an 8th-place diploma ^[1]. These official certificates are awarded to athletes ranked 1st through 8th in each event, so it's especially meaningful to see them updated after four years 📜

Notably, this was the first time two Korean figure skaters both finished in the top 10 at the Olympics ^[1]. Yoo Young also became the third Korean figure skater to make the Olympic top 5, following Kim Yuna and Cha Jun-hwan ^[1]. A single number changed, but the weight of this record feels much bigger 🇰🇷

⚖️ The Doping Ruling and Kim Yuna's Message

Valieva competed for the ROC at the Beijing Olympics and contributed to the team event gold medal ^[1]. However, ahead of the women's singles event, a doping test at the Russian Championships in December 2021 revealed a positive result for the banned substance trimetazidine ^[1]. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) allowed her to compete, considering the irreparable harm an athlete could suffer if later cleared, and Valieva finished 4th ^[1].

Kim Yuna rarely speaks out, but she publicly criticized this decision ^[1]. Her SNS message read: 'Athletes who dope cannot compete. Rules must be upheld without exception. Every athlete's effort and dream are equally precious.' Four years later, that principle has finally been reflected in the results 💪 CAS later recognized the anti-doping violation, suspended Valieva for four years starting December 25, 2021, and ordered that results achieved after that date be disqualified ^[1].

An article headline even read, 'Give back Kim Yuna's gold medal too,' showing how much attention this correction has drawn ^[3]. Reports also noted that global public criticism of Valieva was intense ^[4].

💌 A Word From Us

The rankings changed after four long years, but it was a week that reminded us how precious the sweat and dreams of these athletes are, then and now. Please keep cheering for Lee Hae-in's Triple Axel attempt and for the upcoming performances of Yoo Young and Kim Ye-lim! We'll be back next week with more good news from the ice. Thank you! 🎉