“Those who cry when it’s hard are third-rate, those who persevere when it’s hard are second-rate, and those who laugh when it’s hard are first-rate.”
This sentence, which is often used as a material for memes (internet popular content), is also widely used as a motto for athletes.
‘Positive thinking’ is an essential element for athletes who often feel physical limitations and are exposed to various stresses.
Here is a player who overcame adversity with an optimistic personality, laughter, and bright energy.
The main character is Lee Hae-in (17, Sehwa Girls’ High School), a national figure skating female singles representative.
Lee Hae-in won the silver medal at the International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating World Championships held last month and tasted the joy of being on the podium for the first time in 10 years as a Korean female singles player since Kim Yu-na (retired).
On the 31st of last month, he met with Yonhap News at All That Sports office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul and introduced her philosophy, personality, and future goals.
Hae-in Hae-in, who said that she trained early in the morning and attended school classes, said, “I’m tired, but I’m fine,” and started the interview with a smile.
Completion of 5 types of 3-rotation jumps in elementary school… genius girl haeinLee Hae-in first started figure skating in the first grade of elementary school. He went to the Lotte World ice rink in Songpa-gu, Seoul to play, and Lee Hae-in, who fell in love with skating, entered the path of figure skating while receiving private guidance in the second grade of elementary school.
Lee Hae-in said, “At that time, I just liked getting makeup and wearing pretty clothes.” did,” he said.
Lee Hae-in’s skills improved rapidly when he was in his senior year of elementary school.
He said, “In the 5th grade of elementary school, I ran all 5 types of 3-rotation jumps (toe loop, loop, Salchow, Flip, Lutz), and in the 6th grade, I also tried a triple axel (rotating 3 and a half turns).”
The figure skating world was astonished. An ice dealer commented, “Lee Hae-in was a complete athlete,” and “He perfectly performed not only his technical skills, but also non-jumping elements such as spins.”
Lee Hae-in was different from the start. He won two ISU Junior Grand Prix events in a row in 2019, his second year of junior high school.
It was the first time in 14 years since Kim Yu-na that a Korean player won two consecutive Junior Grand Prix events in one season, and it was the second record ever by a Korean player after Kim Yu-na.
He was on a winning streak. She took 5th place in both the Junior Grand Prix Final (Wangjung Wangjeon) and the World Junior Championships, firmly establishing herself as the ‘second Yuna Kim’.
The slump that came during puberty… MZ generation Lee Hae-in’s way to overcome is ‘enjoying while drawing webtoons’Lee Hae-in started to shake after entering the senior stage. This is because her body was out of balance as she grew taller.
Not only jumping tasks, but also non-jumping tasks such as spins did not go as planned. There was an evaluation that it had regressed.
It was also fatal for Lee Hae-in that the right peach bone was filled with water.
Lee Hae-in said with sad eyes, “There was a slump. It was a very difficult time. He thought he wanted to give up figure skating and do something else.”
Her adolescent girl got through her slump while enjoying what she loved.
It was at this time that she started painting.
Lee Hae-in explained, “She loved to draw,” and she “did a webtoon by writing a story from then on.”
Lee Hae-in showed various pictures on his mobile phone.
He expressed foreign figure skaters as well as domestic players as if they were finished photos. He was very good at drawing cartoon characters such as ‘Elsa’.
Comics became a way out for Lee Hae-in. He immersed himself in a world of his own, spreading his various imaginations.
And that’s not all. Lee Hae-in said, “I like tteokbokki (fat-gaining) and chicken, but I ate these little by little and relieved my stress. I also tried to laugh while watching Studio Ghibli (Japanese animation production company).”
‘The one who laughs when it’s hard is first class’… Lee Hae-in laughs and laughs againLee Hae-in overcame the difficult times in his own way. It was also a big help that I had time to organize my thoughts as the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) hit the world in 2020 and 2021.
Lee Hae-in overcame the burden, pressure, and stress with a smile.
Although Lee Hae-in always overcame pain with a bright smile, it was difficult to miss the right to participate in the Olympics.
She played a crucial role in increasing South Korea’s women’s singles Olympic quota to two with a good 10th-place finish at the 2021 ISU World Championships.
However, in the first round of the selection of athletes for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, held in December 2021, she could not overcome her extreme physical condition and missed the Olympic tickets given to the top two.
Lee Hae-in said, “I was envious of my older sisters and brothers who participated in the Olympics.”
Still, Lee Hae-in sat down and did not wipe his tears. He took part in the ISU Four Continents Championships held just before the opening of the Beijing Olympics and won a silver medal by raising his personal best.
At the ISU World Championships held immediately after the Olympics, he ranked 7th and placed in the top 10 for two consecutive years following 201.
Lee Hae-in overcame the pain of not participating in the Olympics.
Regarding the scene where he screamed and shed tears after the performance of the free skating at the Four Continents Championships, he explained, “It was a difficult time, and I had a lot of thoughts because I had made mistakes in the past at the place where the event was held (Talen, Estonia).”
Lee Hae-in, who washed away the pain of the Beijing Olympics, has risen to the top.
Following her victory at the 2023 Four Continents Championships held in February, she won the silver medal in women’s singles at the 2023 ISU Figure Skating World Championships last month with a final total score of 220.94, and reached the podium 10 years after Yuna Kim in 2013. .
“Not giving up led to good results,” he said with a laugh.
Lee Hae-in, who is leaping forward, “Challenge the triple axel in the new season”Now, Lee Hae-in is aiming for a leap in the 2023-2024 season.
Lee Hae-in challenges the triple axel, a high-level jump that rotates three and a half times in the air.
He said, “Actually, I’ve been training before,” and said, “I sometimes succeed during training, but I haven’t thought about using it in practice. I think it’s time to show it now.”
The Triple Axel plans to train in earnest from mid-April, right after the 2023 ISU Figure Skating Team Trophy (April 13-16, Tokyo, Japan).메이저사이트
Lee Hae-in said, “I will come back after finishing the team trophy well.”
The Team Trophy Contest is a national figure skating competition, where men and women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance compete for ranking with a total score in four events.
From Korea, men’s singles Cha Jun-hwan and Lee Si-hyeong (Korea University), women’s singles Kim Ye-rim (Dankook University) and Lee Hae-in, pairs Jo Hye-jin and Steven Adcok, and ice dance Lim Hae-na and Quan-ye will participate.
Lee Hae-in said, “I have high expectations as I go to the national competition as a team with my colleagues,” and added, “I think it will be really fun.”
Lee Hae-in, who had been answering with a smile for a long time, smiled and answered with a serious look when asked about the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics.
He said, “The Olympics is a competition I really want to participate in,” and emphasized, “But for now, I think the order is to focus on the competition in front of me. I want to show my improved side by side.”