After 3 straight silver medals, figure skater Shin Ji-a eyes big prize at next world juniors

For any junior figure skater, winning a silver medal at three straight world championships would be considered a huge accomplishment. Make no mistake. Shin Ji-a, the 15-year-old sensation from South Korea, is pleased with her third straight silver at the under-19 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei on Friday. But she also believes she is capable of more. Shin established new personal-best scores in both the short program (73.48 points) and the free skate (138.95 points), finishing second overall with 212.43 points. Shin was 5.93 points back of Mao Shimada of Japan, who had also beaten the South Korean for the gold at the 2023 world juniors. Asked on Monday if she was disappointed that her personal best was not enough for the gold, Shin responded, "At least I won the short program. I think there's still hope. I want to try even harder and reach an even higher place." Shin won a medal at every competition this season, with two gold medals during the International Skating Union Junior Grand Prix season, a silver behind Shimada at the Junior Grand Prix Final in December, and a silver to Shimada again at the Winter Youth Olympics in South Korea in January. "I went into the world juniors with a lot of confidence in myself, because I had done so well at earlier competitions," Shin told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "I was able to trust myself. The fact that I set personal bests in both makes me even happier. It's a huge honor to win a medal at three straight world championships." Shimada has the built-in edge over Shin in her free skate because of the higher degree of difficulty. Shimada attempts and often lands a quadruple toe loop, while Shin doesn't have any quadruple jumps in her program. Shin said she will discuss her next steps with her coaches, but it is not so cut and dried that she will add a quadruple jump next season. "If I do attempt a quad jump, I will be able to earn higher scores. But on the other hand, I will put myself at a higher risk of injury," Sh in said. "It's something we'll have to think long and hard about." Shin was the last to take the ice in the free skate, with Shimada having posted a high score just ahead of her. There are few situations as pressure-packed and nerve-wracking in figure skating -- going last with a gold medal on the line when your chief rival has just put up a big number on the board. "I don't think I felt any extra pressure because of that situation. I was just a little nervous," Shin said. "But I think I did the best I could without losing my concentration. I am happy that I was rewarded with a pretty good score." Mao has gotten the better of Shin for the last couple of seasons, but Shin feels she will have her chance eventually. "After finishing first in the short program, I wanted to go for the gold," Shin said. "I know I will have more opportunities down the road. I will try to make the most of them and win a gold medal." Source: Yonhap News Agency