Men's singles skaters Kim Aaron and Hwang Gyu-jin place 17th and 20th respectively in short program
Rising women's singles figure skater Hwang Jeong-yul set a personal best of 66.50 points in the short program at the 2026-2027 ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix 5.
Hwang recorded the score Friday (Korean Standard Time) at the Batumi Ice Arena in Batumi, Georgia, combining a technical elements score (TES) of 40.32, a program component score of 27.18 and a one-point deduction. The result surpassed her previous ISU-recognized personal best of 63.34 by 3.16 points.
Hwang finished fifth in the short program, behind Wang Yihan of China (73.38), Yamada Kei of Japan (69.98), Stefania Gladki of France (67.94) and Sofia Shifrin of Israel (66.67).
Hwang opened with a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination jump (8.40 points), earning a grade of execution (GOE) of 1.44, then added a GOE of 0.71 on her double Axel (3.30 points) before completing a flying camel spin at Level 4.
In the back half of the program, she earned a GOE of 1.01 on a triple Lutz (6.49 points) and executed a change-foot combination spin, step sequence and layback spin — all at Level 4.
However, Hwang received a one-point deduction for exceeding the time limit after failing to complete her program before the music ended.
Meanwhile, in the men's singles short program, Kim Aaron of Mandeok High School (56.50 points) and Hwang Gyu-jin of Gyeongseong Middle School (54.66 points) placed 17th and 20th respectively, landing in the lower half of the field.
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