Kim Chae-yeon of South Korea won the Four Continents figure skating competition with a near-flawless free skate to prevent an American sweep of the podium.

South Korea’s Kim Chae-Yeon won the Four Continents figure skating competition with a near-flawless free skate on Sunday, February 23. The 18-year-old produced a season’s best score of 148.36 in the free skate to finish with a total of 222.

Madison Chock (L)/Evan Bates of the United States perform during the Exhibition Gala at the 2025 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 23, 2025. (Photo by Jun Hyosang/Xinhua)

Local favorite Kim Chae-yeon of South Korea won the Four Continents figure skating competition with a near-flawless free skate on Sunday to prevent an American sweep of the podium.

South Korea's Kim Chae-yeon performs during the women's free skating at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Sunday at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea.

Local favourite Kim Chae-yeon of South Korea skated to gold at the ISU Four Continents championships in Seoul.

In many ways, South Korean figure skater Kim Chae-yeon is no different than many other athletes. She has bouts of self-doubt at times, worrying if she will fall to the ice on her next jump or if she will botch her next step sequence.