Kim Yelim edges Isabeau Levito for lead at Four Continents after women's short program
A Beijing 2022 Olympian, Kim is looking for her biggest international win after claiming her first Grand Prix in November. Four Continents is the final major event ahead of Worlds in March.
Figure Skating
Kim Yelim is halfway to the biggest title of her career.
The Olympic figure skater from the Republic of Korea soared to a 72.84 in the women's short program on Thursday (9 February) at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs, giving her a slight edge over the rest of the field.
Reiging American champion, 15-year-old Isabeau Levito, is just 1.34 points behind Kim, scoring a 71.50 as the final skater of the afternoon. Kim's Korean teammate, Kim Chaeyeon, is third with 70.86.
Less than four points separate the top six women's skaters.
Kim, 20, was ninth at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 last season. She's had a standout 2022-23 so far, winning her first Grand Prix title at NHK Trophy while also claiming silver at the Grand Prix de France.
"I was so nervous today," Kim said in English. "To me it was not everything perfect, but it was almost a clean program, so I'm happy with that."
Four Continents features the top international skaters from outside of Europe and is the final major event ahead of next month's World Championships, set to be held in Saitama, Japan. Two weeks ago, Europe crowned its champions in Espoo, Finland.
Levito's compatriots Amber Glenn and Bradie Tennell sit four-five (at 69.63 and 69.49, respectively), while Lee Haein completed a Korean-U.S. sweep of the top six (with a 69.13).
The Japanese effort was led by Chiba Mone, who sits seventh (67.28).
The men's singles event also gets underway on Thursday, with reigning men's champion Cha Junhwan in action, as well as 2018 winner Jin Boyang, who did not appear in the Grand Prix Series.
Kim Yelim: I was ready for high altitude
Colorado Springs offers a particularly challenging atmosphere for skaters with its elevation, sitting 5,994 feet (1,827 metres) above sea level. Kim was ready for that challenge.
"Here it is very high mountains, so I worked on my stamina before we came here," said the Korean skater. "Hopefully I will get the podium [here], but I'm not thinking about it too much."
She opened her "Mercy" short program with a triple Lutz-triple toe-loop combination, then added a double Axel and triple flip, while also registering 8s and 9s for her Program Components (artistry). Kim won the bronze at Four Continents a year ago ahead of the Olympic Games.
Levito went toe-to-toe with Kim in her point totals, but got a minus one point for a time violation, a costly error. He 11.95 for her triple Lutz-triple toe was the biggest point-getter of the afternoon, and she said she appreciated her experience at last month's U.S. Championships, where she won the title.
"I learned a lot" there, she said. "It was a great experience. I'm glad I had it prior to this competition."
Japan's Watanabe Rinka (8th place) and Yoshida Hana (10th) both tried the triple Axel, but were not able to land the rare jump. Watanabe, who captured the title at Skate Canada International in October, said she plans to put one in her free skate - which is also expected from the American Glenn.
ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2023: Full schedule
See the full schedule for the skating in Colorado Springs, with all times listed local (Mountain Time).
Thursday, 9 February
18:45-21:50 - Men's short program
Friday, 10 February
11:35-13:25 - Pairs short program
14:35-16:50 - Ice dance rhythm dance
18:00-21:50 - Women's free skate
Saturday, 11 February
14:50-16:55 - Pairs free skate
18:15-21:55 - Men's free skate
Sunday, 12 February
13:15-15:50 - Ice dance free dance
18:30-21:00 - Exhibition gala