Lee Jae-keun Ranks Second in Short Program with Personal Best; Choi Ha-bin Fifth

Figure skater Lee Jae-keun placed second in the short program at the ISU Junior Grand Prix, setting a new personal best.

Choi Ha-bin finished in fifth place.

Gliding across the ice to "Mi Mancherai," the soundtrack from the film "Il Postino," Lee took flight effortlessly from his very first jump.

After cleanly landing a triple lutz, he earned over two additional points in GOE (Grade of Execution) on his second jumping element, the triple axel.

Smoothly landing his back-end combination jump consisting of a triple loop and a triple toe loop, Lee successfully completed the remaining steps and spins to deliver the best performance of his life.

Scoring 83.2 points for a personal best in the short program, he placed second just 0.55 points behind Japan's Sena Takahashi, setting the stage to contend for his first-ever Junior Grand Prix title in tomorrow's (the 29th) free skate.

Meanwhile, Choi Ha-bin, who competed alongside Lee, unfortunately fell while attempting a triple-triple combination jump, landing in fifth place.

Even so, the gap with the third-place skater is within three points, keeping alive the possibility of a comeback medal.

(Video Editing: Park Jung-sam)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.