Shin Ji-a Posts Personal-Best 141.02 Free Skate in Olympic Debut
Shin Ji-a delivered a satisfying Olympic free skate performance, posting a personal-best 141. 02 in the free program and finishing her individual debut with a total of 206. 68.
Shin Ji-a's free skate: high marks, a wobble and a fist pump
In her individual Olympic debut on Feb. 19 (ET), Shin Ji-a overcame an early jump mistake to record 141. 02 points in the free skate. That score combined with her short program result of 65. 66 produced a total of 206. 68. She described the overall performance as something she could be proud of, saying, "I think I did it well, " and later reflecting that "except for that one mistake, I think I did the best I could the rest of the way, and I won't have any regrets about the way I skated. "
The free skate itself included a momentary wobble on the triple loop, but Shin Ji-a recovered to complete the remainder of her elements, including combination jumps and spins at competitive levels. Her on-ice reaction — a rare fist pump — underscored how pleased she was to have set a new personal best on the Olympic stage. She also noted that the experience of skating in the team event on Feb. 6 (ET) earlier in the Games helped prepare her for the individual competition.
Placement, margins and what the result means
Shin Ji-a finished first among the 11 skaters in her free-skate group and moved up in the standings overall, though she came in behind another competitor who posted a higher total. Her free-skate total of 141. 02 exceeded recent season and personal benchmarks noted in the lead-up to the event. After the skate she acknowledged some disappointment with earlier miscues, but said the performance left her motivated to improve and to aim for future Olympic qualification.
She also hinted at technical ambitions, noting plans to work on adding more challenging elements to her repertoire. Off the ice, she allowed herself a small celebratory treat after a busy Olympic schedule: her coach promised to buy her gelato, and she named pistachio as a favorite flavor.
Team and rival performances, plus a note on another skater's season best
Shin Ji-a's individual debut came after participating in the team event earlier in the Games. That team experience gave her a vantage point from the bench and a closer look at high-level competition, which she said was eye-opening and motivating.
Separately, another competitor achieved a season-best score with on-site trainer support during the same stretch of competition, highlighting how athletes and their teams leaned on immediate coaching to reach peak results at the Olympics. Shin Ji-a's own showing, with a personal-best free skate and a visible emotional reaction, positioned her as a young skater with room to grow and clear goals for the next four years.
Overall, Shin Ji-a leaves the Milan ice having set a new free-skate benchmark and with renewed motivation: "Now that I have skated at an Olympics, I feel more motivated to try to qualify for the next Olympics, " she said, framing the debut as both an accomplishment and a starting point for future progress.
