Teen figure skater surprised with her own composure in Olympic debut

MILAN — Before taking the ice Friday afternoon for her Winter Games debut here in northern Italy, South Korean teen figure skater Shin Ji-a was worried she would be a nervous wreck. But under the bright lights, the 17-year-old delivered a solid performance without succumbing to pressure. Shin earned 68.80 points in the short program of the team event at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, putting herself in fourth place. Afterward, Shin said she was “really honored” to be part of the team event and that she felt lucky to get a feel for the ice at the arena before her individual competition next week. She also said the Olympics didn’t feel all that different from other international events from her past. “Honestly, I was really worried about just how nervous I’d be at the Olympics,” she said. “But once I took the ice, I wasn’t as jittery as I’d worried. And I was surprised with that myself.” Unlike the other South Korean skaters competing in the team event, Shin had never been a part of a team setting until Friday. Shin was cheered on by Cha Jun-hwan, the male skater set to compete Saturda

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