KUALA LUMPUR: Having made a positive debut at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, national figure skater Julian Yee is now hoping to build on his performance as he eyes more world class competitions.
Julian, who is based in Canada, said his first outing at the Winter Olympics had been an eye-opening experience.
He missed out on the final in his event by a mere 1.15-point difference, for 25th spot, but managed a personal best at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Friday.
"Now that my event has ended, I would say that it (Pyeongchang) has definitely been a very good experience. It is unlike any other competition, well it is the Olympics after all," said the 20-year-old on Saturday.
"Competing against the world class skaters here - really the best of the best - was a huge challenge.
"It was a whole new environment for me. We stayed in a village, mixed with different athletes... it was a different feeling and something we had to adapt to.
"We also had a lot more practice sessions that we are used to prior to a competition as we arrived early before the opening ceremony."
Julian was given the honour of being flag bearer for Malaysia at the opening ceremony.
His next tournament will be just as important as Pyeongchang — the World Championships in Milan on March 19-25.
"Pyeongchang is definitely something we look to improve on in upcoming competitions.
"The next focus will be the world meet where I hope to do well."
Julian finished 22nd at the Helsinki World Championships last year.