Kim Chae-yeon (figure skater)

Kim Chae-yeon (Korean: 김채연; born 8 December 2006) is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2024 World bronze medalist, the 2025 Four Continents champion and 2024 Four Continents silver medalist, the 2023 Skate Canada International silver medalist, the 2024 Cup of China bronze medalist, a four-time ISU Challenger Series medalist (including two gold), the 2025 Asian Winter Games champion, the 2024 Shanghai Trophy champion, and the 2025 South Korean national champion.
At the junior level, she is the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist and a three-time ISU Junior Grand Prix medalist.
Kim Chae-yeon medaled at the World Championships after practicing figure skating for only 7 years, a rare feat in the history of the sport.
Kim was born on December 8, 2006, in Seoul, South Korea. She is a devout Buddhist.
Kim's mother, Lee Jung-ah, is an interior designer and is responsible for designing all of her daughter's figure skating costumes.
Kim began skating in 2017 when she was in the fifth grade. She placed fourth in the junior category at the 2020 South Korean Championships.
In February 2021, Kim placed ninth, competing as a senior at the 2021 South Korean Championships. Due to this result, she became a member of the Korean national team.
Kim made her international junior debut at the 2021 JGP France II, the second of two Junior Grand Prix events held in Courchevel in August. She placed second in both the short program and the free skate to finish second overall between American skater Isabeau Levito and Canadian Kaiya Ruiter. At her second JGP assignment of the season, the 2021 JGP Slovakia, Kim finished off the podium in fifth place.
In January 2022, Kim placed tenth in the senior women's category at the 2022 South Korean Figure Skating Championships.
Following the season, Kim made a coaching change from longtime coach, Han Sung-mi, to Chi Hyun-jung.
Kim opened her season back on the Junior Grand Prix circuit at the 2022 JGP Poland I, the first of two JGP events held in Gdańsk. She placed third in both segments of competition to win the bronze medal overall behind Japanese competitors Mao Shimada and Mone Chiba. The following week, Kim made her international senior debut at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy in Espoo. She placed third in the short program and second in the free skate, setting new personal bests in both segments of competition, as well as overall, to win the silver medal between compatriot Kim Ye-lim and Georgian skater Anastasiia Gubanova. The week after that, she competed at her second Junior Grand Prix assignment, the 2022 JGP Italy. After winning the short program in Egna, she took the silver medal behind Japan's Hana Yoshida, in the process qualifying for the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final.
At the Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin, Kim placed third in the short program despite one of her triple jumps being deemed a quarter short of rotation. She was narrowly third as well in the free skate, winning the bronze medal. Kim and silver medalist Shin Ji-a were the first Korean women to medal at the event since Yuna Kim in 2005. She noted that Yuna Kim had inspired her to begin skating, saying "I tried to learn her choreography and her jumping technique, she is my role model."
Kim finished fourth at the 2023 South Korean Championships. However, with national champion Shin ineligible for international senior competition, South Korea's third berths at senior ISU championships were assigned to Kim. Competing at the 2023 Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, Kim placed third in the short program with a new personal best score of 71.39, winning a bronze small medal. She had the highest technical score in the segment. Fifth in the free skate with errors on both her triple flip attempts, she dropped to fourth place overall, 2.59 points behind bronze medalist Chiba.
At the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Kim finished twelfth in the short program after stepping out of her opening triple Lutz, missing the intended triple-triple combination. Although she was able to tack on a triple toe loop to the back end of her triple flip later in the program, the second jump was deemed underrotated by the technical panel. Following her performance, Kim stated that she was "very, very nervous" heading into the short program, although "happy about the great support from fans." In the free skate held two days later, Kim set a new personal best of 139.45 points after landing seven clean triple jumps including a triple Lutz-triple toe combination and earning Level 4s on all of her spins and footwork. For her performance, she received a small bronze medal for the free skate, vaulting herself up to sixth place overall.
Beginning the season on the Challenger circuit, Kim won the bronze medal at the 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy before taking gold at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial. She was invited to make her senior Grand Prix debut, appearing first at the 2023 Skate Canada International, where she was the youngest of the twelve women competing. She finished second in the short program and fourth in the free skate, coming second overall and taking the silver medal. After the free skate, she remarked "I didn't skate clean, but I am very happy with the result."
Kim came third in the short program at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo but dropped to fourth place after a difficult free skate.
Kim reached the podium at the 2024 South Korean Championships, claiming the bronze medal. Assigned next to the 2024 Four Continents Championships in Shanghai, she finished second in the short program. Third in the free skate, she remained second overall, winning the silver medal, her first at an ISU championship. She reflected that after some disappointing results in the first half of the season, this result had "boosted my confidence."
Finishing the season at the 2024 World Championships, held in Montreal, Kim was sixth in the short program after receiving an incorrect edge call on a triple flip and an underrotation on the back end of her jump combination. Both of her triple flips in the free skate similarly were judged to have an incorrect edge, and her triple Salchow was called a quarter underrotated, but she placed third in the segment and moved up to third place overall, winning the bronze medal. This made her the third Korean woman to win a World medal, after Kim Yu-na and Lee Hae-in.
Kim started the season in early October by taking gold at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy. One week later, she competed at the 2024 Korean Universiade and Asian Games Qualifiers, winning the event. With this result, Kim was selected to represent South Korea at the 2025 Asian Winter Games. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, Kim took the gold medal at the 2024 CS Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur.
At her first event on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, the Grand Prix de France, Kim placed second in the short program but fifth in the free skate after having a hard fall on the second part of her triple lutz-triple toe combination and landing on her hip. She would drop to fourth place overall. Three weeks later, at the 2024 Cup of China, Kim placed fourth in the short program but third in the free skate, where she skated cleanly and scored close to her personal best, moving up to the bronze medal position overall. Following the event, she said, "I want to show a more mature side of myself by using the experiences I have gained as a stepping stone." She was ultimately named as the second alternate for the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final.
In late November, Kim competed at the annual South Korean Ranking Competition, where she won the gold medal. Because of this result, she was selected to compete at the 2025 Four Continents Championships. One month later, Kim won the gold medal at the 2025 South Korean Championships, defeating two-time and defending national champion, Shin Ji-a. With this result, Kim was named to the 2025 World team.
At the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, Kim placed second in the short program but won the free skate, securing the gold medal by almost eight points ahead of three-time and reigning World Champion, Kaori Sakamoto. One week later, Kim competed at the 2025 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, where she won both the short program and free skate segments, scoring personal bests in the process and winning the gold medal by exactly eighteen points over silver medalist, Bradie Tennell. She became only the third South Korean women's singles skater to win Four Continents gold, after Kim Yuna and Lee Hae-in. Following the event, Kim said, "I was a little nervous because I wanted to show my best for the home crowd and I am glad I was able to do that. I wasn't feeling very well this morning, so I was worried about the performance. Fortunately, it turned out very well and I'm very satisfied with the result. I tried to get some confidence based on what I've accomplished at the Asian Winter Games."
CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Personal bests highlighted in bold.
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Personal bests highlighted in bold.