ID :
29141
Sat, 11/08/2008 - 18:41
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/29141
The shortlink copeid
Kim Yu-na coasts to her fifth straight Grand Prix win
BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Kim Yu-na captured her fifth straight Grand Prix event and second of the season as she defended her Cup of China title by dominating her rivals in the free skate on Saturday.
The 18-year-old, who had won the short program earlier this week, scored 128.11
in the free skate, boosting her total to 191.75 and edging out Miki Ando of Japan
by more than 20 points. It was less than six points short of her career best.
Kim, ranked just behind Japan's world No. 1 Mao Asada, claimed the Cup of China
last year and was coming off her fourth straight Grand Prix title at last month's
Skate America.
With the latest win at Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, the 2007 and 2008 world
championship bronze medalist has virtually secured a spot in the Grand Prix Final
scheduled for next month in her country.
Kim, the first South Korean ever to win a medal at a senior Grand Prix event, has
won the last two Grand Prix Finals titles and is scheduled to compete later this
month in the NHK Trophy in Tokyo.
Dancing to the rhythm of Russian symphony suite Scheherazade and dressed in vivid
red, Kim pulled off a sequence of near-perfect jumps except for a single attempt
in which she landed in a faulty step.
"I performed feeling less nervous than during the short program," Kim told
reporters. "I was confident. Even though I was shaken in one of the jumps, I got
good results. I'm glad to have won a chance to compete in the Grand Prix Final."
"Many have played against the backdrop of Scheherazade, but I have tried to lead
a performance of my own," she added, following her performance which won loud
applause from the crowd that included a throng of her Korean supporters.
Kim, a high school student who was recently granted admission to a top university
in Seoul and commands a wide fan base, has won gold in the last five consecutive
Grand Prix events she has competed in, including the 2006 Trophee Eric Bompard,
the 2007 Cup of Russia and last month's Skate America.
Miki scored a total of 170.88 to finish second, while Finland's Laura Lepisto
posted 159.42 to claim the bronze.
Asada, who is also competing for a ticket to the Dec. 10-14 Grand Prix Final
event, did not take part in Saturday's competition.
The 18-year-old, who had won the short program earlier this week, scored 128.11
in the free skate, boosting her total to 191.75 and edging out Miki Ando of Japan
by more than 20 points. It was less than six points short of her career best.
Kim, ranked just behind Japan's world No. 1 Mao Asada, claimed the Cup of China
last year and was coming off her fourth straight Grand Prix title at last month's
Skate America.
With the latest win at Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, the 2007 and 2008 world
championship bronze medalist has virtually secured a spot in the Grand Prix Final
scheduled for next month in her country.
Kim, the first South Korean ever to win a medal at a senior Grand Prix event, has
won the last two Grand Prix Finals titles and is scheduled to compete later this
month in the NHK Trophy in Tokyo.
Dancing to the rhythm of Russian symphony suite Scheherazade and dressed in vivid
red, Kim pulled off a sequence of near-perfect jumps except for a single attempt
in which she landed in a faulty step.
"I performed feeling less nervous than during the short program," Kim told
reporters. "I was confident. Even though I was shaken in one of the jumps, I got
good results. I'm glad to have won a chance to compete in the Grand Prix Final."
"Many have played against the backdrop of Scheherazade, but I have tried to lead
a performance of my own," she added, following her performance which won loud
applause from the crowd that included a throng of her Korean supporters.
Kim, a high school student who was recently granted admission to a top university
in Seoul and commands a wide fan base, has won gold in the last five consecutive
Grand Prix events she has competed in, including the 2006 Trophee Eric Bompard,
the 2007 Cup of Russia and last month's Skate America.
Miki scored a total of 170.88 to finish second, while Finland's Laura Lepisto
posted 159.42 to claim the bronze.
Asada, who is also competing for a ticket to the Dec. 10-14 Grand Prix Final
event, did not take part in Saturday's competition.
