Milan: At the end of the first Olympic short program of her career Tuesday night in Milan, figure skater Lee Hae-in showed very little emotion. It was difficult to tell if she was pleased or not with her performance. The South Korean ended up getting the best short program score of the season with 70.07 points at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Make no mistake: she was quite happy with the score but she just didn't know how to react to her own performance.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee expressed her surprise and satisfaction with the score, saying, "I didn't think I would receive that high of a score. I just wanted to pat myself on the back for trying so hard to execute every element the best I could." Despite her apparent lack of immediate reaction, Lee explained that she was still deeply focused on her performance immediately after completing her program.

Lee's previous season best had been 67.06 points from January. Reflecting on her experience, she noted, "Up until yesterday, I didn't think I'd be nervous at all, but once I took the ice, it felt different. But I tried to concentrate on what I had to do. I think I avoided big mistakes." Her performance was marked by cleanly landed jumps and the highest levels for spins and step sequence.

"I had faith in the work I've put in during training sessions," Lee remarked. "I knew I had to trust myself 100 percent, no matter what happens in the future." Looking ahead to Thursday's free skate, Lee acknowledged the nerves that come with competing at the Olympics but emphasized her determination to overcome them mentally.

"After all, this is the Olympics and athletes are bound to feel nervous. But it's something I have to overcome mentally," she stated. "I have to be sharper in every element. Now that I have the short program out of the way, hopefully I will get to enjoy myself more in the free skate and not feel too nervous."