Mastering the triple axel: Korean figure skating prodigy, 11, treads long, hard road to glory

South Korea’s 11-year-old figure skating prodigy You Young has Olympic gold in her sights and with a tough, six-hours-a-day training regime, she’s prepared to work hard to get it

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Figure skating prodigy You Young attained instant adulation from fans and media in South Korea after scooping a national title at just 11 years old. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:30pm, 18 Feb 2016Updated: 2:33pm, 18 Feb 2016

South Korea’s 11-year-old figure skating prodigy You Young has Olympic gold in her sights and with a tough, six-hours-a-day training regime, she’s prepared to work hard to get it.

Young mastered the single axel in just two lessons. The coach said such a kid was unheard of

Lee Sook-Hee, You's mother

Despite her tender years, You has been hailed as the heir apparent to Korean ice queen Kim Yu-Na after she became the country’s youngest ever ladies singles champion last month.

You, who is only 4ft 7ins (143 cm) tall, stunned her competitors at the national championships and was quickly dubbed a “figure skating genius” by a prominent newspaper.

You gives a press conference following a local competition in her home country of South Korea. Big things are expected of the youngster. Photo: AFP

It was an overnight success which has been years in the making, starting with You’s first attempts at skating aged five at a rink in tropical Singapore, where she grew up.

“Young mastered the single axel in just two lessons. The coach said such a kid was unheard of,” You’s mother, Lee Sook-Hee, said.

You has been snapped up by Kim’s agency, All That Sports, and is already eyeing the 2022 Winter Olympics, as she will be too young to compete at the 2018 edition in South Korea.

“She is even better than I was,” said Kim, who was on hand last month as You broke the retired great’s record to become South Korea’s youngest national champion.