Figure Skating Seo Min-gyu's Secret to Winning
FIGURE SKATING SEO MIN-GYU'S SECRET TO WINNING: "I DEVELOPED MY ACTING SKILLS BY WATCHING MOVIES 10 TIMES"
"Training location is not important" after training hard in Daegu with his mother, a former athlete
Seo Min-gyu (15, Gyeongshin High School), who became the first Korean male athlete to win a gold medal at the Figure Skating Junior World Championships, said that the acting skills he developed by watching his favorite movies more than 10 times became the basis for his victory.
Seo Min-gyu returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 4th and said, "I developed my acting skills by watching a lot of various works since I was young."
He added, "I watched my favorite movies more than 10 times, especially the movie Jeon Woo-chi, in which actor Kang Dong-won showed outstanding acting skills. 파워볼사이트
These are the things that enhance my acting skills.
"It helped raise the bar," he said.
Seo Min-gyu won the men's singles at the 2024 International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating Junior World Championships held in Taipei, Taiwan, with a total score of 230.75 points, beating Japan's Rio Nakata (229.31 points).
It is the first time that a Korean athlete has reached the men's singles podium at the Junior World Championships, and it has been 18 years since Kim Yuna (retired) in 2006 that both male and female athletes have won this competition.
Although Seo Min-gyu did not perform difficult techniques such as quadruple jumps, he won a surprising gold medal thanks to his excellent acting skills and the completeness of the program.
The delicate acting and facial expressions he displayed at every moment were so outstanding that it was hard to believe he was a 15-year-old player.
The artistic score he received in free skating was 76.72 points, more than 3 points higher than silver medalist Nakata (73.63 points).
It is no exaggeration to say that he won the gold medal with his acting skills.
Of course, technical improvement is necessary to achieve good results on the adult stage.
To win a medal on the senior international stage, you must perform at least three quadruple jumps in the short program and free skating.
Seo Min-gyu also knows this well.
He said, "Until the beginning of this season, I did not include the triple Axel jump (which rotates three and a half times) in the short program, and the success rate was low even in the official training for this competition."
"We will find and train," he said.
The background to Seo Min-gyu's victory is the blood and sweat of his parents.
Seo Min-gyu's mother is coach Kim Eun-ju, a former figure skater and instructor, and Seo Min-gyu naturally took up figure skating following his mother.
As his son showed talent, his father opened an indoor figure training center in Daegu, his hometown.
Unlike other players who train abroad and in Seoul, Seo Min-gyu trained intensively in Daegu with his parents.
He said, "The training location is not important," and "I believe that a player's ability depends on how hard he or she works."
He continued with a smile, saying, "My mother accompanied me to this competition, and she was very happy.
My father sheds tears every time I get good results, so I'm sure he cried this time too."
For Seo Min-gyu, winning this tournament is the starting point of his grand goal of becoming the best player in the world.
When asked, "There is talk that the next Cha Jun-hwan has emerged," he said, "It's still too much of a word for me," and added, "I won't be cocky just because I won a medal."
Seo Min-gyu is not in a hurry.
Since the first Olympics where I can participate will be held in 2030, I plan to slowly climb the stairs.
Seo Min-gyu, born on October 14, 2008, will not be able to compete in the 2026 Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics due to the revision of the International Skating Union's (ISU) age regulations for participation in senior competitions (15 years old → 17 years old).
He said, "It's disappointing, but I think we just need to prepare harder for the 2030 Olympics (host location to be determined).
It's okay."
Meanwhile, women's single silver medalist Shin Ji-ah (Sehwa Girls' High School), who returned to Korea that day, said about winning the silver medal for the third time in a row, "It's a little disappointing, but I think there is hope because I took first place in the short program.
Next time, I will work harder and achieve a higher goal."
"I will go up there," he said.
Shin Ji-ah recorded her personal best scores in the short program (73.48 points), free skating (138.95 points), and total score (212.43 points), but was again pushed out by her same-age rival Mao Shimada (Japan, 218.36 points).
Following the 2023 Junior World Championships, 2022-2023 Junior Grand Prix Final, 2023-2024 Junior Grand Prix Final, and 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, Shin Ji-ah ranked second after Shimada in this competition.
He said, "I had a desire for a gold medal in this competition, and I think another opportunity will come next time."
He added, "Now that the 2023-2024 season is over, I will make a plan for high-level technical training with coach (Ji Hyun-jung)."