Hannah Lim and Ye Quan on Sunday became the first Korean ice dance team to win a gold medal at an International Skating Union Grand Prix event.
At the 2022-23 ISU Junior Grand Prix Series held in Courchevel, France on Saturday, Lim and Quan scored a total of 161.96 points -- 62.71 points in the rhythm dance and 99.25 points in the free dance -- far ahead of the silver medal-winning French team, who finished with 147.66 points.
Lim and Quan won the bronze medal at last year's Junior Grand Prix, which was a first for Korea.
Lim, born in Canada to Korean parents, holds dual citizenship. Quan, who was born in Iceland and is of Chinese descent, moved to Canada when he was young. The two teamed up in 2019 and have been training together in Canada.
To compete in the ISU's pair and ice dance events, a team can choose to represent a country based on one member's nationality, unlike Olympic events, which require both members of a team to have the same nationality.
Lim said her immediate goal is to perform well for the remainder of the season and advance to the Junior Grand Prix Final. Ultimately, she has her sights on a medal at the World Junior Championships. Lim and Quan came sixth at last season's World Junior Championships.
Cha Young-hyun won the silver medal in the men's singles with 196.15 points, and 13-year-old Kim Yoo-jae won the bronze in the women's singles with 185.67 points.
The junior men's and women's singles events were won by Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura (219.65 points) and Hana Yoshida (203.5 points), respectively. Their compatriot Ayumi Shibayama won silver in the women's singles with 188.39 points.
