ID :
26809
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 10:17
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/26809
The shortlink copeid
Kim Yu-na skates with sparkle toward her third Grand Prix Final title
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS details throughout; UPDATES throughout)
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- Kim Yu-na dazzled again.
The 18-year-old South Korean figure skating star pulled off a series of near-perfect jumps and an eloquent spiral sequence Monday (Korea time) to win the free skate at the Skate America in the United States, claiming the women's title at the opening event of the Grand Prix series.
The two-time Grand Prix Final champion had dominated the short program a day
earlier, beating her Japanese rival, Miki Ando, by a large margin. Monday's
victory at Everett, Washington, placed her comfortably in the lead for a ticket
to the Grand Prix Final.
Dressed in red accentuated by a pattern of golden embellishments, Kim skated to
the rhythm of Scheherazade, a symphony suite written by Russian composer Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov based on the Book of One Thousand and One Nights.
The performance, broadcast live from Comcast Arena, allowed Kim to score 123.95
points and beat Yukari Nakano of Japan by nearly 9 points. The win boosted Kim's
total score to 193.45, awarding her the first women's title of the 2008-2009
season.
"I was quite nervous because it was the season opener," the 2007-2008 world
bronze medalist said after the contest. "I'm happy that I made a good start."
"I want to hold on to this feeling right through to the end of the season," said
Kim, who won the short program on Sunday with a score of 69.50. Her rival, Ando,
came in second with 57.80.
An athletic star who commands a fandom as wide as any top entertainer in her
country, Kim added she was grateful to the South Korean crowd that chanted her
name at the arena.
"This was my first competition in the United States, but many Koreans came out to
support me, and it felt like I was competing in Korea," she said. "I thank them
and the fans at home."
Kim, the most successful South Korean to perform at International Skating
Union-organized competitions, will now move to Toronto, Canada, to continue her
training before she performs at the Cup of China next month.
She was admitted last week to enroll at Korea University in Seoul.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- Kim Yu-na dazzled again.
The 18-year-old South Korean figure skating star pulled off a series of near-perfect jumps and an eloquent spiral sequence Monday (Korea time) to win the free skate at the Skate America in the United States, claiming the women's title at the opening event of the Grand Prix series.
The two-time Grand Prix Final champion had dominated the short program a day
earlier, beating her Japanese rival, Miki Ando, by a large margin. Monday's
victory at Everett, Washington, placed her comfortably in the lead for a ticket
to the Grand Prix Final.
Dressed in red accentuated by a pattern of golden embellishments, Kim skated to
the rhythm of Scheherazade, a symphony suite written by Russian composer Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov based on the Book of One Thousand and One Nights.
The performance, broadcast live from Comcast Arena, allowed Kim to score 123.95
points and beat Yukari Nakano of Japan by nearly 9 points. The win boosted Kim's
total score to 193.45, awarding her the first women's title of the 2008-2009
season.
"I was quite nervous because it was the season opener," the 2007-2008 world
bronze medalist said after the contest. "I'm happy that I made a good start."
"I want to hold on to this feeling right through to the end of the season," said
Kim, who won the short program on Sunday with a score of 69.50. Her rival, Ando,
came in second with 57.80.
An athletic star who commands a fandom as wide as any top entertainer in her
country, Kim added she was grateful to the South Korean crowd that chanted her
name at the arena.
"This was my first competition in the United States, but many Koreans came out to
support me, and it felt like I was competing in Korea," she said. "I thank them
and the fans at home."
Kim, the most successful South Korean to perform at International Skating
Union-organized competitions, will now move to Toronto, Canada, to continue her
training before she performs at the Cup of China next month.
She was admitted last week to enroll at Korea University in Seoul.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
