Kim Yu-na Aiming for Free Skating Gold

Figure skating star Kim Yu-na is called the ‘queen of short program.’ Last season, she recorded the highest score in the women’s single short program history with a 71.95 at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo.

However, Kim ranked third out of 12 competitors with a 58.32 in the short program in the 2007/2008 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating on November 8. Does this mean that her new program is a failure?

Lee Ji-hui, the only figure skating international judge in Korea, said, “Although Kim made a mistake on her triple combination, where she could have won huge points, she did very well overall.”

After her unstable landing after her first triple jump, she opted for a single on the second jump. This lost her at least three points and her element score stood at 30.40. However, her program component score was 27.92, the highest among the field. This score represents the overall perfection of her program.

Lee said that Kim’s ability to move with the rhythm has improved and that her performance has matured, adding that she is looking forward to watching Kim’s free skating routine.

The free skating routines will start on November 10. Since free skating scores are weighted nearly double those of the short program, Kim still has a chance to win. Kim is currently 2.5 points behind Italy’s Carolina Kostner, who received 60.82 points for her short program.

kimsk@donga.com