THE STAR
PETALING JAYA: National figure skater Julian Yee Zhi Jie is one step closer to achieving his dream of competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics after recording his personal best in Free Skate at the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, United States.
Julian, 18, who is also Malaysia’s sole representative at the championships, managed to break the 200-point mark after securing 202.94 points overall in the final of the competition yesterday.
“It feels great to be here. Being the first ever Malaysian to qualify for this championship and the finals is absolutely an honour and a good experience. I am ready and hope to do my best,” he said.
Julian said doing well in the competition was important as a preparation for next year’s figure skating World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Currently, he is only one step away from the Winter Olympics.
“I have already qualified for next year’s World Championship. So, all I have to do is put on a good show to qualify for the Olympics.
“Based on this, chances of me qualifying would be 98%,” he said.
Julian said he was used to being the only athlete representing Malaysia but hoped that more would follow suit.
Although not many of his supporters could afford to make the trip to Boston, Yee was grateful to all his fans who have supported him so far.
“I would like to express my appreciation to everyone out there. I am very thankful and happy to know that I’ve got so many people supporting me. Words can’t describe how thankful I am,” he said.
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