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Figure skater Kim Hyun-gyeom still proud of himself despite missing free program cut

Published: 11 Feb. 2026, 10:12 Updated: 11 Feb. 2026, 16:29

Kim Hyun-gyeom of Korea celebrates after completing his short program in the men's singles figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 10. [YONHAP]

After completing the first Olympic short program of his career Tuesday night in Milan, figure skater Kim Hyun-gyeom emphatically pointed at himself with his right thumb and nodded his head with all the self-assuredness of an athlete at the top of his game.

Someone who only saw that part of Kim's performance would have thought he must have skated the program of his life. However, it was far from it, as he only scored 69.30 points, more than five points off his season best, at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Failing to land a triple axel was his one big mistake.

Kim finished 26th among 29 skaters and will miss Friday's free skate, reserved only for the top 24.

"I wanted to do that gesture after a clean program," Kim said with a smile afterward. "Unfortunately, I made a mistake with the jump. But I was still really proud of myself. I truly enjoyed myself out there, and I appreciated all the support from the stands. I felt very proud."

Kim opened his program, set to "Peponi (Paradise)" (2012) by The Piano Guys and Alex Boye, with a clean quadruple toe loop. But he was shaky with the takeoff on the triple axel and was called for under-rotation.

"It's a shame that I executed a quad toe and couldn't land a triple axel," Kim said. "I didn't think I was going to be that nervous. This felt much different from a training session. But considering how jittery I was, I am satisfied with the way I landed the toe jump at the start."

Kim said his miscue with the triple axel wasn't due to any lack of confidence.

"Honestly, I felt great about that jump going in," he said. "I don't think I've missed that jump when I felt as confident as I did today. I have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how I can get better."

Since Kim won't skate the free program, training can wait a bit. Kim, the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic champion, said he is going to give himself a mental break in the coming days and go watch some other sports while in Milan.

"I want to be remembered as an athlete who really enjoyed the Olympic experience," Kim said. "If people remember me as someone who really worked hard for this opportunity, I'd be very grateful."

Yonhap