Self-belief pays off for figure skater in debut

At the end of the first Olympic short program of her career Tuesday night in Milan, figure skater Lee Hae-in showed very little emotion. It was difficult to tell if she was pleased or not with her performance.

The South Korean ended up getting the best short program score of the season with 70.07 points at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Make no mistake: she was quite happy with the score but she just didn't know how to react to her own performance.

"I didn't think I would receive that high of a score. I just wanted to pat myself on the back for trying so hard to execute every element the best I could," Lee said afterward. "I was really happy with the season-best score. But immediately after the program ended, I guess I didn't have much of a reaction because I was still so locked in."

Lee's previous season best had been 67.06 points from January.

"Up until yesterday, I didn't think I'd be nervous at all, but once I took the ice, it felt different," the 20-year-old said. "But I tried to concentrate on what I had to do. I think I avoided big mistakes."

Lee landed all of her jumps cleanly and received the highest levels for her spins and step sequence.

"I had faith in the work I've put in during training sessions," Lee said. "I knew I had to trust myself 100 percent, no matter what happens in the future."

Lee said she will try to be mentally stronger for Thursday's free skate.

"After all, this is the Olympics and athletes are bound to feel nervous. But it's something I have to overcome mentally," she said. "I have to be sharper in every element. Now that I have the short program out of the way, hopefully I will get to enjoy myself more in the free skate and not feel too nervous." (Yonhap)