Kim Yu-na leads ladies single with world record

Vancouver, Canada, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Kim Yu-na won the short
program on Wednesday with a world record at the Four Continents figure skating
competition in Vancouver, raising her chances of winning gold in the 2010 Winter
Olympics that will be held in the same Canadian city.
Kim, a two-time world championship bronze medalist, scored 72.24 points to edge
two Canadian rivals, Joannie Rochette and Cynthia Phaneufwith, who scored 66.90
and 60.98, respectively. Her Japanese rival Mao Asada, the defending champion,
was ranked sixth with 57.86, after making critical mistakes in jumps and spins.
Kim skated to Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens and topped her own world
record by 0.29 in the ladies' short program for her textbook perfect triple
flip-triple toe loop combination jump. Kim recorded 71.95 in the 2007 World
Championship where she obtained bronze medal.
After her flawless performance, Kim received a standing ovation from spectators
at the Pacific Coliseum, which will be the venue for the figure skating
competition of next year's Winter Olympics.
Two other Korean skaters, Kim Na-young and Kim Hyeon-jung, ended 16th and 17th,
earning 43.94 and 41.64, respectively.
A total of 24 top-scoring skaters will advance to the free skating competition on
Saturday.
brk@yna.co.kr
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