Julian Yee Zhi Jie (Chinese: 茹自杰; pinyin: Rú Zì Jié, born 26 May 1997) is a Malaysian figure skater. He is also the first Olympian Malaysian figure skater. He is the 2017 and 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, 2015 CS Denkova-Staviski Cup silver medalist, 2016 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy and 2013 Skate Down Under bronze medalist, as well as five-time Malaysian senior national champion (2013–2017). He has competed in the final segment at ten ISU Championships, including four World Championships. He represented Malaysia at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Julian Yee
Yee at the 2017 Worlds
Full nameJulian Yee Zhi Jie
Other namesJulian Zhi Jie Yee
Born (1997-05-26) 26 May 1997 (age 27)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Height1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Figure skating career
CountryMalaysia Malaysia
CoachMichael Hopfes
Doug Leigh
Skating clubIce Skating Association of Malaysia
Began skating2001
Medal record
Representing  Malaysia
Men’s figure skating
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2017 Kuala Lumpur Men’s singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Philippines Men’s singles
Julian Yee
Traditional Chinese茹自傑
Simplified Chinese茹自杰
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinRú Zì Jié

Personal life

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Julian Yee Zhi Jie was born on 26 May 1997 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[3] His mother, Irene Cheow,[4] served as the deputy president of the Ice Skating Association of Malaysia from 2012 to 2014.[5] He has two brothers, Ian and Ryan Yee Zhi Jwen. Ryan has also competed internationally in figure skating.[3]

Career

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Early years

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Julian Yee began learning to skate at age four at the Sunway Pyramid Ice Rink in Malaysia.[6][7][8] He and his brothers were introduced to skating by their mother, Irene. Harry Janto Leo became his coach in 2004.[7]

During his early years, Yee competed only in ISI-sanctioned competitions, which were regarded as recreational skating. He won the elementary category at the inaugural Malaysian National Championships and defended his title the following year. He learned all his double jumps by the age of twelve. He was selected by Ice Skating Association of Malaysia to participate in the 2009 Korean Dream Program in PyeongChang.[9]

In 2010, Yee received additional coaching from Chen Lu and Denis Petrov. In 2011, he became the youngest skater to win the Junior Men's category, at age 13 years 10 months, thereby breaking the previous record held by his brother, Ryan Yee Zhi Jwen.

2011–12 to 2012–13

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In the 2011–12 season, Yee was selected to represent Malaysia in the ISU Junior Grand Prix. He competed at events in Milan, Italy and Tallinn, Estonia, but failed to reach the free skate.

In 2013, Yee became first Malaysian to obtain the qualifying scores for the World Junior Championships. He finished 34th in the short program and did not qualify for the free skate. He learned most of the triple jumps by sixteen.[citation needed]

2013–14 to 2014–15

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In 2014, Yee became the first Malaysian to reach the free skate at a Four Continents Championships.[10] One of the youngest skaters at the event, held in Taipei City from 20–25 January 2014, he qualified for the free skate and finished 23rd overall. At the 2014 Malaysian Open National Championship, Yee held the lead after the short program and defended his title to become only the second Malaysian skater to win the Senior Men's title in consecutive years.

In the 2014–15 JGP season, Yee finished sixth in Aichi, Japan, scoring personal bests in the short program, free skate, and combined total. In March 2015, competing at his fourth World Junior Championships, he qualified for the free skate and finished 19th overall. He also managed to qualify for Malaysia their first ever Youth Winter Olympics spot but he was not able to compete in it as he was over-aged.

2015–16 season

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Yee started the 2015–16 JGP season with a 7th-place result in Riga, Latvia, scoring personal bests in the short, free skate and combined total (176.79). After placing first in the junior category at the 2015 Skate Canada Summer Skate in Thornhill, he competed at the JGP in Logroño, Spain and finished 4th – the highest result by a Malaysian in the Junior Grand Prix. He won his first ISU Challenger Series medal, silver, at the Denkova-Staviski Cup.

Yee finished 15th at the 2016 Four Continents Championships in Taipei after placing 15th in the short and 14th in the free. In March, he qualified for the free skate at the 2016 World Championships in Boston; he ranked 22nd in the short, 19th in the free, and 21st overall. During the season, he trained in Petaling Jaya and Barrie, Ontario, coached by Michael Hopfes and Doug Leigh.[3]

Yee has also trained in the Elvis Stojko Arena (Toronto, Canada), the Chinese National Arena (Harbin, China), and the Beijing Capital Gymnasium (Beijing, China).[when?]

2016–17 season

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Yee won bronze at the Asian Open Trophy, held in Manila in August 2016. He then relocated to Barrie, Ontario to train full-time, taking a gap year off his university studies. He competed at two ISU Challenger Series events, placing 4th at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy in September and 5th at the 2016 CS Warsaw Cup in October.

Yee finished 15th overall at the 2017 Four Continents Championships in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and then went directly to Sapporo, Japan to compete at his first Asian Winter Games; he placed 8th with a new personal best of 222.69 points.

In March, he reached the final segment and finished 22nd overall at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

2017–18 season

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In August 2017, Yee won gold at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.[11]

Yee represented Malaysia in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, together with Jeffrey Webb.[12] He got a personal best score of 73.58 in the short program, and barely missed qualifying for the free skate.[13][14] Yee is the first ever Malaysian figure skater to qualify for this event.[15]

Programs

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2019–2020
2018–2019 The Janitor
2017–2018
The Janitor
2016–2017
[16]
The Janitor
2015–2016
[3]
  • I Put a Spell on You
    by Garou
2014–2015
[17]
  • Peter Gunn
    by Henry Mancini
  • Fever
    by John Davenport
  • Oye Negra
    by Eddie Cooley and Terry Snyder
2013–2014
[18]
  • Chambermaid Swing
    by Parov Stelar
  • Capone
    by Ronan Hardiman
2012–2013
[19]
  • Sons of Odin
    by Patrick Doyle
  • Unstoppable
    by Gregson and Mullen
  • Theme from Mission: Impossible
    by Hans Zimmer
2011–2012
[20][21]
  • The Jet Song
    (from "West Side Story")
    by Leonard Bernstein

Competitive highlights

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GP: Grand Prix; CS: ISU Challenger Series; JGP: ISU Junior Grand Prix

International[22]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20
Olympics 25th
Worlds 21st 22nd 21st 23rd C
Four Continents 23rd 22nd 15th 15th 16th 20th
GP Rostelecom 12th
GP Skate America 7th
GP Skate Canada 9th
CS Autumn Classic 7th
CS Denkova-Staviski 2nd
CS Nebelhorn 9th 4th 6th 6th
CS Tallinn Trophy 5th
CS Warsaw Cup 5th
Asian Games 8th
Asian Open 3rd
SEA Games 1st 1st
Skate Down Under 3rd
International: Junior[22]
Junior Worlds 36th 34th 35th 19th
JGP Croatia 14th
JGP Czech Republic 17th
JGP Estonia 14th
JGP Italy 22nd
JGP Japan 6th
JGP Latvia 7th
JGP Poland 26th
JGP Slovenia 21st
JGP Spain 4th
Asian Open 8th 6th 4th 2nd
New Year's Cup 6th
Skate Helena 1st
Taipei Open 3rd
National[22]
Malaysian Champ. 1st J 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event cancelled; J = Junior level; P = Preliminary round

Detailed results

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Further to the introduction of the +5 / -5 GOE for the season 2018/19, all statistics will restart from zero. All previous statistics are now considered historical

Senior level

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Yee at the 2017 World Championships.
2019–20 season
Date Event SP FS Total
29 November - 1 December 2019 2019 Southeast Asian Games 1
63.35
1
139.27
1
202.62
25–27 October 2019 2019 Skate Canada International 7
75.64
10
135.99
9
211.63
25–28 September 2019 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 4
68.87
8
124.68
6
193.55
2018–19 season
Date Event SP FS Total
18–24 March 2019 2019 World Championships 24
73.63
23
132.34
23
205.97
7–10 February 2019 2019 Four Continents Championships 18
61.23
17
112.87
20
174.10
16–18 November 2018 2018 Rostelecom Cup 12
60.37
12
118.34
12
178.71
19–21 October 2018 2018 Skate America 3
81.52
9
125.99
7
207.51
20–22 September 2018 2018 CS Autumn Classic International 5
74.86
8
126.43
7
201.29
2017–18 season
Date Event SP FS Total
19–25 March 2018 2018 World Championships 21
72.43
20
136.60
21
209.03
14–23 February 2018 2018 Winter Olympics 25
73.58
DNQ 25
22–27 January 2018 2018 Four Continents Championships 17
68.45
16
129.23
16
197.68
20–26 November 2017 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy 9
63.70
4
138.92
5
202.62
27–30 September 2017 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 6
71.93
3
148.74
6
220.67
26–27 August 2017 2017 Southeast Asian Games 1
73.03
1
132.40
1
205.43
2016–17 season
Date Event SP FS Total
27 March – 2 April 2017 2017 World Championships 23
69.74
19
144.25
22
213.99
23–26 February 2017 2017 Asian Winter Games 10
72.75
8
149.94
8
222.69
15–19 February 2017 2017 Four Continents Championships 15
72.21
16
130.46
15
202.67
17–20 November 2016 2016 CS Warsaw Cup 2
71.27
7
126.48
5
197.75
22–24 September 2016 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 4
72.59
5
139.68
4
212.27
4–7 August 2016 2016 Asian Open Trophy 3
63.41
3
125.60
3
189.01
2015–16 season
Date Event SP FS Total
26 March – 3 April 2016 2016 World Championships 22
67.60
19
135.34
21
202.94
16–21 February 2016 2016 Four Continents Championships 15
59.70
14
130.62
15
190.32
20–25 October 2015 2015 CS Denkova-Staviski Cup 1
67.24
3
130.18
2
197.42
24–26 September 2015 2015 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 9
65.89
7
125.38
9
191.27

Junior level

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2015–16 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
30 September – 3 October 2015 2015 JGP Spain Junior 5
59.34
4
120.51
4
179.85
26–29 August 2015 2015 JGP Latvia Junior 7
59.10
6
117.69
7
176.79
2014–15 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
March 2015 World Junior Championships Junior

19
9–15 February 2015 2015 Four Continents Championships Senior

22
2014 JGP Croatia Junior

14
2014 JGP Japan Junior

6
August 2014 Asian Open Trophy Junior

2
2013–14 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
2012–13 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
2011–12 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
March 2012 2012 Malaysian Championships Senior

2
12–15 October 2011 2011 JGP Estonia Junior 13
36.58
13
76.32
14
112.90
5–8 October 2011 2011 JGP Italy Junior 23
30.91
22
62.04
22
92.95
22–26 August 2011 2011 Asian Open Trophy Junior 9
33.73
8
71.42
8
105.15
2010–11 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
25 March – 2011 2011 Malaysian Junior Championships Junior 1
36.89
1
71.96
1
108.85

References

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  1. ^ "ISU World Standings 2023/2024. Men". isuresults.com (in Swahili). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ "ISU Season's World Ranking 2019/2020. Men". isuresults.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Jong, Teoh Xiu (13 April 2016). "Figure skater hopes to realise dreams". The Star (Malaysia).
  5. ^ "ISAM EXCO for 2012 - 2014". Ice Skating Association of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Athlete profiles: Julian Yee". Ice Skating Association of Malaysia. 2013. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  7. ^ a b Lim, Jarod (17 October 2013). "Determined to shine". The Star (Malaysia).
  8. ^ "Hall of Fame: Julian Yee Zhi-Jie". Sunway Pyramid Ice. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Malaysian figure skater Julian Yee the dream programme success story!". 12FLY.com. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  10. ^ Lim, Jarod (17 October 2013). "Determined to shine". The Star Online. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  11. ^ Azharie, Farah (27 August 2017). "KL2017: Julian Yee, Kai Xiang win gold, bronze in men's figure skating". New Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  12. ^ "How Malaysia's first Olympic figure skater made history in PyeongChang". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Men Single Skating - Short Program". ISU Results. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  14. ^ Rajes Paul (16 February 2018). "Winter Olympics: Julian Yee misses final by a whisker". The Star. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Julian Yee becomes first ever M'sian figure skater to qualify for Winter Olympics". NST Online. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
  17. ^ "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ^ "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "Julian Zhi Jie YEE: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ^ a b c "Competition Results: Julian Zhi Jie YEE". International Skating Union.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by
Inaugural
Flagbearer for   Malaysia
PyeongChang 2018
Succeeded by