Lee Jae-keun (Korean: 이재근; born November 20, 2007)[1] is a South Korean figure skater. He is the 2024 JGP Latvia silver medalist and finished in the top six at the 2024 World Junior Championships.[2]
| Lee Jae-keun | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Jae-keun |
| Native name | 이재근 |
| Born | November 20, 2007 Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea |
| Hometown | Gunpo City, South Korea |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  South Korea |
| Coach | Choi Hyung-kyung Kim Na-hyun Kim Min-seok |
| Began skating | 2014 |
Personal life
editLee was born on November 20, 2007, in Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.[1] He has three siblings: an older brother and sister, and a younger sister.[3]
Career
editEarly career
editAfter watching a video of Yuna Kim's El Tango de Roxanne short program from the 2007 World Championships, Lee's parents decided to sign their youngest daughter, Bo-mi, up for figure skating in 2014. They signed Lee up for lessons as well so his sister would not have to attend them alone. From there, Lee fell in love with the sport. Upon noticing Lee's talent for figure skating and wanting their children to have access to better training conditions, Lee's parents sold their home and while his mother and older siblings remained in Hwasun-gun, Lee's father moved him and his younger sister to Incheon, Seoul.[4][3]
Lee made his international debut as a basic novice, winning gold at the 2018 Asian Open Trophy. The following year, he won the silver medal as an advanced novice at the 2019 Prague Ice Cup. Competing on the senior level at the 2021 South Korean Championships, Lee came in sixth place.[5]
2021–22 season
editCoached by Han Sung-mi, Lee began the season by finishing third at the 2021 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers and was given a Junior Grand Prix assignment as a result of his placement. Debuting on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Lee finished fifth at 2021 JGP Slovakia. He went on to finish sixth at the 2022 South Korean Championships.[6][2][5]
Following the season, Lee made a coaching change from Han Sung-mi to Park Bit-na.[7]
2022–23 season
editLee started the season by winning bronze at the 2022 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers and, due to this placement, was given one Junior Grand Prix assignment. He went on to compete on the junior level at the 2021 South East Asian Open Trophy, where he won the gold medal.[5]
At 2022 JGP Italy, Lee finished sixth-place. Going on to compete at the 2023 South Korean Championships in January, Lee finished seventh.[2]
2023–24 season
editBefore beginning the season, Lee switched coaches from Park Bit-na to Choi Hyung-kyung.[1] He first competed at the 2023 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers, where he finished fourth. With this placement, Lee was assigned one Junior Grand Prix event. At this JGP event in Japan, Lee finished sixth.[2]
In January, Lee competed at the 2024 South Korean Championships, where he finished fifth. With this result, Lee was given one of the two spots to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.[5][2] At these championships, Lee placed twelfth in the short program but fifth in the free skate, moving up to sixth-place overall.[5]
Following the event, he said, “Even though I was nervous, I was very honored because it was a bigger stage, and I felt really good. I focused until the end and I think I finished well.” His placement, along with teammate, Seo Min-kyu's, first-place finish earned South Korea three spots for the men's singles event at the 2025 World Junior Championships.[8]
2024–25 season
editLee began the season by winning silver at the 2024 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers and was given two Junior Grand Prix assignments as a result of this placement. Lee's first event on the Junior Grand Prix circuit was 2024 JGP Latvia where he won the silver medal after placing third in the short program and second in the free skate.[5][9] He would subsequently go on to finish fourth at 2024 JGP China.[5]
Programs
edit| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–2025 [10] |
|
|
|
| 2023–2024 [1] |
|
|
|
| 2022–2023 [7] |
|
|
|
| 2021–2022 [6] |
|
||
| 2019–2020 |
|
|
|
| 2018–2019 |
|
Competitive highlights
editGP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
| International[2][5] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| Junior Worlds | 6th | ||||||
| JGP China | 4th | ||||||
| JGP Italy | 6th | ||||||
| JGP Japan | 6th | ||||||
| JGP Latvia | 2nd | ||||||
| JGP Slovakia | 5th | ||||||
| Asian Open Trophy | 1st B | ||||||
| Prague Ice Cup | 2nd A | ||||||
| SEA Open Trophy | 1st J | ||||||
| National[2][5] | |||||||
| South Korean Championships | 6th | 6th | 7th | 5th | |||
| Ranking Competition | 3rd | 6th | 7th | 3rd | |||
| Winter Sport Festival | 2nd J | 2nd J | 3rd | ||||
| JGP Qualifiers | 3rd J | 3rd J | 4th J | 2nd J | |||
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Cancelled Levels: J = Junior level; A = Advanced novice; B = Basic novice | |||||||
Detailed results
edit| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 220.26 | 2024 JGP Latvia |
| Short program | TSS | 74.08 | 2024 JGP China |
| TES | 40.91 | 2024 JGP Latvia | |
| PCS | 34.67 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | |
| Free skating | TSS | 146.48 | 2024 JGP Latvia |
| TES | 77.29 | 2024 JGP Latvia | |
| PCS | 70.19 | 2024 JGP Latvia |
Junior results
editCurrent personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
| 2024–25 season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| October 9–12, 2024 | 2024 JGP China | Junior | 3 74.08 |
6 127.37 |
4 201.45 |
| August 28–31, 2024 | 2024 JGP Latvia | Junior | 3 73.78 |
2 146.48 |
2 220.26 |
| 2023–24 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| February 26–March 3, 2024 | 2024 World Junior Championships | Junior | 12 70.15 |
5 142.07 |
6 212.22 |
| January 4–7, 2024 | 2024 South Korean Championships | Senior | 5 75.26 |
4 151.38 |
5 226.64 |
| September 13–16, 2023 | 2023 JGP Japan | Junior | 7 65.76 |
5 127.67 |
6 193.43 |
| 2022–23 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| January 5–9, 2023 | 2023 South Korean Championships | Senior | 7 72.18 |
7 138.56 |
7 210.74 |
| October 12–15, 2022 | 2022 JGP Italy | Junior | 6 69.47 |
5 127.46 |
6 196.93 |
| September 2–4, 2022 | 2022 South East Asian Open Trophy | Junior | 1 64.78 |
1 114.95 |
1 179.73 |
| 2021–22 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| January 7–9, 2022 | 2022 South Korean Championships | Senior | 5 67.54 |
8 132.12 |
6 199.66 |
| September 1–4, 2021 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | Junior | 5 68.70 |
8 119.50 |
6 188.20 |
| 2020–21 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| February 24–26, 2021 | 2021 South Korean Championships | Senior | 7 59.01 |
6 111.43 |
6 170.44 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Jaekeun LEE: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jaekeun LEE: Competition Results". International Skating Union. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "97회 영재 발굴단 '남자 김연아'를 꿈꾸는 열 살 이재근". Seoul Broadcasting System. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Jaekeun LEE". Skating Scores. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "Jaekeun LEE: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Jaekeun LEE: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023.
- ^ 박, 지민 (March 3, 2024). "[인터뷰] "점수보다는 저에게 집중했어요." 피겨 서민규-이재근, 주니어 세계선수권 프리 스케이팅 소감". MFocus. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ "피겨 이재근, 주니어 그랑프리 1차 대회 은메달…개인 첫 메달". MSN. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ "Jaekeun LEE: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024.
External links
edit- Jaekeun Lee at the International Skating Union
- Lee Jae-keun at SkatingScores.com