Kim Yu-na set to sparkle on Olympic stage

By Kim Boram

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- When the national anthem of South Korea played on the last day of the World Figure Skating Championships last March, Kim Yu-na burst into tears at the top of the podium with her first World Championship gold medal hanging around her neck.

It was the first time for South Korea to emerge as a figure skating powerhouse
after decades on the fringes. Since then, every move by Kim has drawn attention
from the media and the world figure skating community.
Women's figure skating commands the spotlight at every Winter Olympics, but with
the exception of the 2006 Turin Winter Games, when Japan's Shizuka Arakawa
snatched the gold, all gold medalists have come from Europe or the United States
since the 1908 London Summer OIympics, when figure skating was first adopted as
an Olympic sport. Figure skating became a Winter Olympics event when the first
winter olympic games launched in Chamonix, France, in 1924.
Kim, too young to compete in Turin four years ago, has now emerged as the
undisputed favorite for the gold at the upcoming Vancouver Olympics.
"Every player has dreamed of the Olympic gold medal. I have watched the Olympics
since I was a child. I know surprises always happen," the 19-year-old skater
said. "I will just continue practicing just as I have done so far, with the
belief that I can do really well. I really want to do well" at the Olympics.
She has won seven consecutive Grand Prix series titles and lifted three Grand
Prix Final trophies since she made her senior debut in 2006.
Her "textbook" jumps, high-speed spins and elegant moves have redefined the
meaning of a world class performance, outshining her rivals, including Japan's
Mao Asada and Miki Ando and Canada's Joannie Rochette.
After winning the Four Continents Championship in February last year, she
continued her winning streak at the World Championships in March and at every
Grand Prix event of the 2009-10 season, including the GP Final in December.
She earned 207.71 points in March, topping the 200 mark for the first time in
women's figure skating history, and eclipsed her own record at the GP season
opener Trophee Eric Bompard in October with an overall score of 210.03.
Armed with her James Bond Medley for the short program and Concerto in F by
George Gershwin for free skating, Kim will compete for the first figure skating
gold for South Korea, which has earned most of its winter medals in short track
speed skating.
With the start of the Games less than three weeks away, Kim is focusing on
perfecting her performance in Toronto, where she trains with Canadian coach Brian
Oser, a two-time Olympic silver medalist.
"I've been putting off thinking about an Olympic gold medal," she said, adding
that she is practicing to reduce her mistakes in jumps to skate a clean program.
The teen aged star, who once admitted that she feeling pressured because of South
Korean fans' high expectations, said she manages stress by shopping or chatting
with friends.
She recently contributed 100 million won (US$88,500) to the Korean Committee for
U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) for children in Haiti, where earthquakes killed
hundreds of thousands people, saying that she was sad to see many children
suffering in Haiti.
Kwak Min-jung, who won the national championships in November, will also make her
Olympic debut in Vancouver on the two-woman team.
"I achieved my goal of standing on the Olympic stage. I want to perform a clean
short program first to be able to compete at free skating," Kwak, 16, said. "It's
a big event, but I'm really looking forward to playing with world-class players
whom I have seen only on TV."
brk@yna.co.kr
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