Shin Jia on the influence of Yuna Kim, her 2026 dreams and how the Youth Olympics changed her
The two-time and reigning World Junior runner-up has tapped Kim's former choreographer to improve her artistry - and won two medals at Gangwon 2024. She spoke to Olympics.com exclusively.
Figure Skating
In the moments after she won silver at last month's Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 in front of her home Korean fans, figure skater Shin Jia had a text message on her phone.
It was from Olympic champion and her childhood hero, Yuna Kim.
"I dreamed of becoming a figure skater while watching Yuna Kim," recalls Shin, 15, who said Yuna's message was a simple congratulations.
Kim had also been inside the Gangneung Ice Arena to watch Shin en route to her podium finish, while Japan's Shimada Mao claimed the gold.
"My mum loves figure skating [and] she encouraged me to get involved in the sport after watching Yuna Kim," Shin adds in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.
It was a true full-circle moment for Shin, who this week heads to Chinese Taipei for the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where she'll be among the medal favourites.
Kim, the Vancouver 2010 champion and silver medallist at Sochi 2014, has spurred a whole new generation of Korean skaters, with Shin even earning the nickname "Yuna Kid" for following in the great champion's footsteps.
But Shin is looking to make her own history, too: Having won silver at World Juniors in the past three seasons, she's trying to become the first female to go back-to-back-to-back on the podium in some 15 years, since Caroline Zhang did so from 2007 to 2009.
Shin Jia taps well-known choreographer to up her game
As Shin charts her own path on the ice, she has taken a page from Kim's playbook, partnering with Yuna's former choreographer, the well-known David Wilson, to do her programs for this season.
She had previously served as her own choreographer.
"I heard that David Wilson creates very beautiful choreography for skaters... [and] believed [his style] would suit me," Shin shared. "He was very friendly and crafted a choreography that fit me well, so it was smooth working.
"He loves playing pranks, but I reacted quite awkwardly at first," she adds, laughing. "In the end, we got closer, after working together for a while."
For the short program, Shin skates Fascination Waltz, while the free skates is a medley, Not About Angels/Portion of Eternity.
"Initially, I wanted to perform a program with fast tempo music like tango, but David sent me more elegant music pieces [for both short and free programs], so I decided to choose them," said Shin, whose parents helped her hone in on her music selection.
Shin made the trip to Toronto, Canada, where Wilson is based following last year's World Juniors, which were held in Calgary. They were not far away from the rink where Yuna Kim once trained with another famed skating mentor, Brian Orser.
Shin and Shimada Mao: 'They push each other to be better'
Much like Yuna Kim was acutely familiar with fellow world champion and Olympic medallist Asada Mao, Shin has gone head-to-head a fist full of times with the Japanese skater who was named after Mao - fellow 15-year-old Shimada Mao.
She has been runner-up to Shimada at several key junior events, including in Gangwon, as well as at December's Junior Grand Prix Final and last year's World Junior Championships.
"I know that if I make any mistakes, I will lose the competition [to Shin]," Shimada said during the Youth Olympics. "This makes me nervous, but she is important as a competitor."
That is distinctly accurate: In Gangwon, the two were separated by just 0.56 points in the free skate, but it was Shimada who had been more solid in the short program, triumphing by 5.16 points.
But Shimada possesses both a quad jump (the loop) and triple Axel, two technical advantages over Shimada. While Shin continues to build her own technical repertoire, she has worked to become a stronger artist on the ice - and she's already a two-time Korean national champion... at the senior level.
"Figure skating is a sport that is charming beyond escape once you are involved," she says of her building artistry. "It is a very attractive sporting discipline, and it is so fun as we express ourselves with music."
But Shimada's coach, the famed Hamada Mie believes the two young women are helping one another get better - even in the junior ranks: "They push each other to be better. Every skater needs a rival. It’s like Asada Mao and Kim Yuna.
She added: “We respect Ji-a. We love her skating; it’s very nice, smooth skating. They’re different types of skaters, but it’s most important to respect each other.”
'My goal is... the next Olympics'
All eyes will be on the two this coming weekend, but both young skaters have one eye cast towards two years from now and the coming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
"I continue to work hard and ultimately my goal is to compete at the next Olympics," Shin told Olympics.com.
It's a building process that she hopes will only make her stronger, even with Shimada alongside her on the ice.
"As I received a good result from the Youth Olympics, I want to review my performances once again, and I hope that it will lead to another good result at" World Juniors," she said. "Regardless of the colour of the medal, my goal is always to deliver a performance that satisfies myself."
"Through my experiences at the YOG, I feel like I’ve grown up significantly."