Golden Performance On Homeground
SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy 2022
It was a weekend to remember for first-year Diploma in Business figure skater, Pagiel Sng Yie Ken, as he put on his ice skates to participate in an international competition on homegrounds for the first time. Singapore hosted its first international figure skating competition – the inaugural SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy 2022 - from 2 to 4 September 2022 at the The Rink in JCube. To make the experience even sweeter, Pagiel landed a gold medal in the Senior Men’s category.
Though Pagiel has participated in many competitions, the SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy 2022 gave him a completely new experience that he will cherish and remember. It was the first time he was competing before a home crowd, including family and friends, who have him rousing support. The reverberating cheers and claps from spectators boosted Pagiel to put up a mesmerising and gold-medal-winning performance.
The 18-year-old nailed his axels, spins, and jumps to score 115.72 for a total of 172.12. Also, he met the minimum total elements score required for the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs, United States from Feb 7 to 12, 2023. He is the first Singaporean male figure skater to qualify for the event.
During his interview with The Straits Times after his win, Pagiel shared about his experience: "The atmosphere was electric, the cheers, the clapping, everything brought out so much emotion that I would literally feel tingles through my arms. My dad and all my skating friends were here, it did add a lot of pressure as I did not want to let them down and I wanted to make them proud.
"I feel extremely happy and relieved after I put out two good programmes. I did not expect to get the gold let alone medal but I am happy I did. It means that my hard work has paid off and that even though Singapore is a small and tropical country, we can still compete and do well."
He is currently preparing for the Junior Grand Prix in Egna-Neumarkt, Italy in October.
Sanctioned by the ISU and Asian Skating Union, the SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy featured 110 skaters from 12 countries, including regional rivals Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Photo Credit: Singapore Ice Skating Association
Though Pagiel has participated in many competitions, the SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy 2022 gave him a completely new experience that he will cherish and remember. It was the first time he was competing before a home crowd, including family and friends, who have him rousing support. The reverberating cheers and claps from spectators boosted Pagiel to put up a mesmerising and gold-medal-winning performance.
The 18-year-old nailed his axels, spins, and jumps to score 115.72 for a total of 172.12. Also, he met the minimum total elements score required for the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs, United States from Feb 7 to 12, 2023. He is the first Singaporean male figure skater to qualify for the event.
During his interview with The Straits Times after his win, Pagiel shared about his experience: "The atmosphere was electric, the cheers, the clapping, everything brought out so much emotion that I would literally feel tingles through my arms. My dad and all my skating friends were here, it did add a lot of pressure as I did not want to let them down and I wanted to make them proud.
"I feel extremely happy and relieved after I put out two good programmes. I did not expect to get the gold let alone medal but I am happy I did. It means that my hard work has paid off and that even though Singapore is a small and tropical country, we can still compete and do well."
He is currently preparing for the Junior Grand Prix in Egna-Neumarkt, Italy in October.
Sanctioned by the ISU and Asian Skating Union, the SEA Open Figure Skating Trophy featured 110 skaters from 12 countries, including regional rivals Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea.
