Kim Yu-seong (AFP-Yonhap)
Kim Yu-seong (AFP-Yonhap)

Figure skating prospect Kim Yu-seong won the women's singles title at the 34th Nepela Memorial, an International Skating Union Challenger Series event, after landing a triple Axel to come from behind for victory.

Kim scored 141.43 points in the free skate Saturday in Bratislava, Slovakia, with 76.17 points in technical elements and 65.26 in program components.

Kim, who was fourth after the short program with 61.27 points, finished with a total of 202.70 to beat runner-up Lee Hae-in, who scored 190.55, by 12.15 points.

Her free-skate score was a personal best under the ISU system, improving on her previous mark of 134.93 by 6.5 points.

Her total score also matched the personal best of 202.70 she set at the Cranberry Cup Challenger event in August.

Kim, who competed at the event as preparation for the 2026-27 ISU Senior Grand Prix season, opened strongly by cleanly landing a triple Axel worth 8.0 base points and earning an additional 1.0 point in grade of execution.

The successful jump made up for her disappointment in the short program, when she also attempted a triple Axel but lost points on both its base value and grade of execution because of an underrotation.

Kim followed with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination worth 9.50 base points, earning 0.93 in grade of execution, and a triple loop worth 4.90 base points, which earned 0.98 in grade of execution. She then completed a level-four flying camel spin and a level-two step sequence.

She was called for an underrotation on a triple Lutz-Euler-triple Salchow-double Axel jump sequence in the second half of the program but safely landed a triple flip and triple Lutz to complete her six jumping passes.

Kim closed her performance with a level-four change-foot combination spin, choreographic sequence and choreographic spin.

Lee, who was second after the short program, scored 127.43 in the free skate after struggling with her triple Axel. Combined with her short-program score of 63.12, she finished second with 190.55 points.

Lee brought back the triple Axel for the first time since 2022. She fell on the jump in the short program, and in the free skate her opening triple Axel was ruled underrotated. She received only 6.40 points, 80% of its 8.0-point base value, and lost another 1.28 points in grade of execution.

Lee also received quarter-landing calls on her triple loop and triple Lutz and was unable to improve the overall quality of her jumps enough to mount the comeback she had hoped for.

Yoon Seo-jin finished ninth with a total score of 150.20.

(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)