S. Korea's Kim Yu-na clinches her first World Championship title

(ATTN: ADDS Kim's comments in paras 3, 7, 8)
LOS ANGELES, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Kim Yu-na, South Korea's figure skating super
star, claimed her first women's single gold medal with a record 207.71 points at
the 2009 World Figure Skating Championship in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The 18-year-old, recording 131.59 points in the free skate of the championship
held at Staples Center, topped the overall standing with 207.71 points. Kim
became the first to receive over 200 points in the women's single event.
"I'm so happy that I got gold in my third World Championship competition," Kim
told reporters after the performance. "I was confident of winning. I wasn't
nervous."
Canadian Joannie Rochette registered 191.29 to rank second, while Japanese Miki
Ando, the 2007 world champion, finished third with 190.38.
Saturday's win is Kim's first world championship title since she appeared in the
senior stage in 2007. She obtained two bronze medals in the 2007 and 2008 world
championship tournaments.
Kim, who received a record 76.12 points at the short program on Friday, entered
the free skate at the top with a 8.22-point lead over Rochette.
The Four Continents champion skated to Rimskii-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" and
earned high marks for her trademark triple flip-triple toe loop combination jump
and flawless triple lutz and double axels. She also performed dazzling spins and
spirals.
"Being the world champion is my dream, so I couldn't help bursting into tears,"
Kim said after the award ceremony. Standing on the podium, she kept wiping tears
from her eyes while South Korea's national anthem was playing.
"I've prepared well for this year's competition. I think I have done well at
practicing, one year ahead of the Vancouver Olympics," Kim said. She aims to give
her country the first Olympic gold medal in figure skating in 2010.
Her rival, Mao Asada of Japan, the 2008 world champion, earned 122.03 points in
the long program to come in fourth with 188.09 points. She made a crucial mistake
on her second triple axel jump.
brk@yna.co.kr
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