Winter Olympics star’s high grew to become undone as she suffered severe wardrobe malfunction
A Winter Olympics star almost had a horror start to her Games debut when her costume failed her
Yura Min’s costume threatened to betray her (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Winter Olympics star Yura Min survived a serious wardrobe malfunction after her top became undone seconds after beginning her routine.
In 2018, the figure skater was making her Olympic debut while competing in the figure skating team event for South Korea alongside then-partner Alexander Gamelin. Representing the Asian country while being born and raised in the United States, there was double the motivation for Min to do her two nations proud.
However, her glee soon turned to horror as five seconds into her performance, the hook in the back of her costume became undone, threatening the prospect of her entire outfit falling off her body and onto the ice.
Speaking after the terrifying moment, Min said: “Five seconds into the routine, my hook came undone. I was like, ‘Oh no!’ If that comes undone, the whole thing could just pop off. I was terrified the entire program.”
Despite the potentially dire consequences of not stopping to fix the issue, Min continued with the performance in order to maintain a chance of earning a better score. She explained: “I didn’t stop. I went from the beginning to the end. I didn’t stop because you get a deduction if you stop in the middle of a program.
“In my head, I was thinking, ‘Is it better to stop and fix it and get the deduction or keep going?’” The possibility of the outfit falling off meant Min had to ad-lib the rest of her routine and keep her arms back.
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The 30-year-old continued: “This is my first Olympics, our first program and if my top were to come down, that would have been a disaster. I was very nervous that the entire thing was going to come off.”
Min’s determination paid off as she and Gamelin completed the routine with her outfit staying on. She added: “The fans kept cheering. Obviously, this is my first Olympics. I don’t want to let loose. I was terrified. I tried my best to keep it together.”
Despite gutting it out, scares occurred during the twizzle routine where her costume dropped so low that she had to stop to pull it back up. The Boston-born Gamelin said: “Anytime she brought her shoulders in, it came down.
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“I only noticed it halfway through. During our twizzle, it came off her shoulder, all of the way. She had to stop and pull it back up and that cost us a bunch of points. It wasn’t because we were skating poorly.”
The duo earned 51.97 points and finished ninth out of 10 teams. Gamelin – whose partnership with Min ended after the Olympics – admitted there were moves she couldn’t do due to the wardrobe issues.
He said: “Obviously, there were some things she couldn’t do because her costume came undone. She had to fix it a couple of times. I think the skating was good.” Min returned to the Winter Olympics this month but not as an athlete, instead working as an IOC Believe in Sport ambassador.
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