Kim Ye-lim finishes last at ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

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Published: 11 Dec. 2022, 18:36

Kim Ye-lim finishes last at ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

Kim Ye-lim performs a spiral during the women's free skating at the figure skating Grand Prix finals at the Palavela ice arena, in Turin, Italy on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

Kim Ye-lim finished last at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final women’s singles in Turin, Italy on Saturday.

After a disappointing short program performance on Friday that only earned her 61.55 points, Kim was unable to make up for her deficit on Saturday.

On Friday, Kim didn't land the second jump of her short program so did not receive a score for that missed double axel. She ended up sixth of six.

Her free skate program score on Saturday was 119.03, which was fifth highest, but her total score of 180.58 put her at sixth overall.

Kim Ye-lim falls during the women's free skating at the figure skating Grand Prix finals at the Palavela ice arena, in Turin, Italy on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, who topped the group in the short program with 75.86 points but crashed in the free skate, ended with a total score of 192.56 points to finish fifth.

Mai Mihara of Japan won gold after coming in second in the short program but topping the group in the free skate. Isabeau Levito of the United States won silver and Loeana Hendrickx of Belgium won bronze.

Kim was the only Korean figure skater at the Grand Prix Finals this season. With only the top six qualifying, Kim was able to compete in the Finals as No. 4 after the best season of her career.

On Nov. 19, Kim won the women's singles gold medal at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating NHK Trophy to become only the second Korean ever to win a women's singles Grand Prix event, after Olympic champion Kim Yuna.

That gold medal came just two weeks after she her second-place finish at the Grand Prix de France where she won her first-ever medal on the Grand Prix circuit.

Despite missing out on the podium, the fact Kim Ye-lim was able to advance to the finals of ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and become the first Korea female figure skater to do so since Kim Yuna in 2015, is itself an accomplishment.

The Grand Prix finals is the second most important competition in a season after the World Championships as it is a culmination of the Grand Prix series. Skaters earn points for their placements and only the top six from each discipline — women’s singles, men’s singles, pairs and ice dancing — qualify for the finals.

Kim Yuna was the first Korean to win at the Grand Prix finals, taking home three gold medals in the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2009-10 seasons and silver in the 2008-09 season.

Cha Jun-hwan was the second Korean to medal in the 2018-19 season, when he won bronze following Nathan Chen of the United States and Shoma Uno of Japan.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]