Lee Haein and Shin Jia Place 2nd and 3rd After Short Program Group 3... Secure Spots in Free Skate

Lee Haein’s flawless performance with a season-best score
Shin Jia’s mistake on triple toe loop landing

Figure skaters Lee Haein and Shin Jia secured their spots in the free skate by ranking second and third, respectively, in the women’s short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

On the 18th (Korean time), at the ice skating arena in Milan, Italy, Lee Haein earned a technical element score (TES) of 37.61 points, a program component score (PCS) of 32.46 points, and a total of 70.07 points in the women’s singles short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, setting her personal best short program score of the season. After 17 skaters in three groups had completed their performances, Lee Haein was placed second in the interim standings.

Lee Haein is delivering a beautiful performance in the women's singles short program of the figure skating competition at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, held at the ice skating arena in Milan, Italy, on the 18th (Korean time). [Photo by Yonhap News]

Lee Haein delivered a flawless performance. She successfully executed her first combination jump of triple Lutz and triple toe loop, then cleanly landed a double Axel. After performing a flying camel spin at Level 4, she also finished her final jump element, a triple flip, in a stable manner. She completed her program by earning Level 4 on all of her sit spin, change-foot combination spin, and step sequence.

Performing immediately before Lee Haein, Shin Jia made a mistake on her first combination jump. After successfully landing a triple Lutz, she attempted a triple toe loop right away but fell. However, she completed the subsequent double Axel and triple flip without mistakes. Shin Jia received Level 4 for her flying camel spin, change-foot combination spin, and step sequence, but earned Level 3 on her final layback spin. Shin Jia recorded a technical element score (TES) of 35.79 points, a program component score (PCS) of 30.87 points, and a total of 65.66 points.

A total of 29 skaters competed in the figure skating short program, and the top 24 among them advance to the free skate. The free skate will be held on the 20th.