Seoul: Kim Chae-yeon captured the women's singles title at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Seoul on Sunday, delivering a flawless performance just 10 days after her gold medal win at the Asian Winter Games in China. The 18-year-old South Korean achieved a personal-best score of 148.36 points in the free skate at the International Skating Union (ISU) event held at Mokdong Ice Rink, culminating in a total of 222.38 points, marking a new career high.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim had clinched the short program with a new personal-best of 74.02 points on Friday. She continued to set new personal records with her clean and composed free skate performance on Sunday. At the previous Four Continents competition in 2024, Kim had secured a silver medal, showcasing her steady improvement.
Earlier this month, Kim secured her first Asian Games gold medal in Harbin on February 13. She recorded scores of 71.88 points in the short program, 147.56 points in the free skate, and an overall 219.44 points, all of which were her then-personal bests at a non-ISU competition. In ISU events, her previous best free skate score was 144.02 points, achieved at the Shanghai Trophy during the ISU Grand Prix season in October 2024, with her highest overall score being 214.74 points from the same event.
Bradie Tennell of the United States finished second with 204.38 points, delivering the second-highest free skate score of the day with 137.80 points. Another American, Sarah Everhardt, took third place with 200.03 points. Meanwhile, Mone Chiba of Japan, who had the second-highest score in the short program with 71.20 points, ended up sixth overall with 195.08 points after a less successful free skate of 123.88 points.