Choi Da-bin will try to become the first South Korean figure skater to win an Asian Winter Games gold medal Saturday, the penultimate day of the Sapporo, Japan, competition.
Choi won the short program on Thursday with 61.30 points, leaving Rika Hongo of Japan in second place with 60.98 points. Zhao Ziquan of China is in third with 58.90 points.
South Korea has won just two bronze medals in figure skating at the previous seven Asian Winter Games.
Choi, 17, is on a roll this month. Last week, she finished fifth at the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in South Korea, while setting personal best scores in the short program (61.62), the free skate (116.92) and total points (182.41).
Choi is a last-minute injury replacement for Park So-youn, who withdrew because of a broken ankle.
The following is the list of events for South Korean athletes on Saturday. All times are local.
- Alpine Skiing (Sapporo Teine)
Women's slalom (10 a.m.)
- Biathlon (Nishioka Biathlon Stadium)
2x6km women + 2x7.5km men mixed relay (10 a.m.)
- Figure Skating (Makomanai Indoor Skating Rink)
Pairs' free skate (3 p.m.)
Women's free skate (5 p.m.)
- Freestyle Skiing (Sapporo Bankei Ski Area)
Men's and women's dual moguls (10 a.m.)
- Hockey (Tsukisamu Gymnasium)
Women's round robin, vs. Hong Kong (3:30 p.m.)
- Ski Jumping (Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium)
Men's team large hill (5:30 p.m.)
- Snowboard (Sapporo Bankei Ski Area)
Men's and women's half-pipe (10 a.m.) (Yonhap)