김연아 Kim Yuna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim Yu-Na 김연아 金姸兒 (born in September 5, 1990 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do) is a South Korean figure skater.

She is the 2009 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a two-time (2006-2007, 2007-2008) Grand Prix Final champion, the 2006 World Junior champion, the 2005-2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and a four-time (2002-2005) South Korean national champion.

 

Kim is the first South Korean figure skater who medaled and won at a ISU Junior Grand Prix and at the Junior Grand Prix Final, at a ISU Grand Prix and at the Grand Prix Final, and at the World Championships. She is one of the most highly recognized athletes and media figures in South Korea.

Kim is the record holder for ladies in the short program, the free skating and the combined total under the ISU Judging System. Kim is the first female skater to pass the 200-point mark and also the first female skater who received +2.00 grade of execution for jumps under the ISU Judging System.

As of October 2009, Kim is ranked first in the world by the ISU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early career

Kim Yu-Na began skating when she was seven years old with her elder sister. Her coach at the time, Ryu Jong-Hyun, impressed with Kim's talent, strongly suggested to Kim's mother that Kim continue to skate, predicting that she would be a world-class figure skater.

In 2002, she competed internationally for the first time at the Triglav Trophy where she won the novice competition.

In 2003, at age 12, she became the youngest woman in history to win the senior title at the South Korean Figure Skating Championships. She won her second international competition, which was the novice competition at the Golden Bear of Zagreb in 2003.

 

In 2004, she repeated as senior national champion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Junior career

2004-2005 season

 

In the 2004–2005 season, as a junior skater, she competed at the ISU Junior Grand Prix, which is a junior complement to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

She won a silver medal in China and a gold medal in Hungary. She won a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final with the overall score of 137.75, 3.08 points behind the gold medalist . Kim won the senior national title on her way to the 2005 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

At that competition, Kim won a silver medal again, earning 158.93 points, 20.31 points behind Asada.

 

 

 

 

 

2005-2006 season

For the 2005–2006 season, Kim remained on the Junior Grands Prix. She was not old enough to compete at the 2006 Olympics, even if South Korea was granted a spot at the final qualifying competition, the 2005 Karl Schäfer Memorial. So, Kim remained on the Junior Grand Prix and won both her Junior Grands Prix to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.

 

She won the Junior Grand Prix Final with a score that was 28.34 points ahead of silver medalist Aki Sawada. At the free skating, Kim landed seven triple jumps, including a triple flip - triple toe loop combination and a double axel - triple toe loop combination.

Kim won her fourth senior national title.

 

At the 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, she competed against the defending champion Mao Asada. Kim won the gold medal scoring 177.54 points overall, with a 24.19 margin of victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior career

2006-2007 season

 

In the 2006-2007 season, Kim made her senior international debut at 2006 Skate Canada where she won a bronze medal after being placed first at the short program and fourth in the free skate program with a total overall score of 168.48 points. She won the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard with a score of 184.54 points, 10.10 ahead of silver medalist Miki Ando. Those performances qualified Kim for the Grand Prix Final for the first time.

 

At the 2006 Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg, Russia, Kim was placed third in the short program with 65.06 points and first in the long program with 119.14. She won the Grand Prix Final earning 184.20 points, by the margin of 11.68 ahead of silver medalist Mao Asada.

 

Kim wanted to defend her title at the 2006–2007 South Korea Championships, but was forced to withdraw due to the injury that she got before the event. In January 2007, Kim was diagnosed to have the early stage of lumbar disc herniation (L₄~L₅).

 

Kim was selected to compete at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships based on her performance from the season so far. Because of the placement of Choi Ji Eun the year before, South Korea had only one spot for the World Championships.

 

In March 2007, at the 2007 World Championships in Tokyo, Kim won the short program with 71.95 points, setting the short program world record, which was the highest under the new ISU Judging System. She placed fourth in the long program earning 114.19 points, and placed third overall. She was 8.31 points behind silver medalist Mao Asada and 5.91 points ahead of fourth place finisher Kimmie Meissner. Kim's placement qualified South Korea two ladies entries for the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships. Kim was the only lady skater whose triple-triple combination judges recognized in both the short and the free skating programs in the 2006-2007 season.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

2007-2008 season

 

 

Kim started off the 2007–2008 season winning the 2007 Cup of China with a total score of 180.68 points, that was 24.34 ahead of silver medalist Caroline Zhang. At the 2007 Cup of Russia, Kim won both the short program scoring 63.50 points and the long program with 133.70 points, to finish first overall with 197.20 points, 24.43 ahead of silver medalist Yukari Nakano. At the competition, Kim set a world record for long program under the new ISU Judging System.

 

Kim's two wins qualified her for the 2007–2008 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Turin, Italy, where she went in as the reigning and defending champion. She won the short program with 64.62 points and was placed second in the long program earning 132.21 to win her second Grand Prix Final competition a total score of 196.83 points, by 5.24 points ahead of Asada.

Kim chose not to compete at the 2007–2008 South Korea Nationals and withdrew from the 2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships a week before the event due to a hip injury.

 

In spite of a series of her injuries and her persistent back pain caused by the injuries, she competed at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships. She was placed fifth in the short program with 59.85 points, but she rebounded in the free skate to win the program with 123.38. She scored 183.23 points overall, winning her second consecutive bronze medal at the World Championships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008-2009 season

 

 

Kim was assigned to the 2008 Skate America and the 2008 Cup of China Grand Prix for the 2008-2009 season.

At Skate America, Kim was placed first in the short program with a score of 69.50, standing out by the margin of 11.70 points despite the trouble in her double axel. She went on to capture the ladies title by winning the long program as well with a score of 123.95. She won the event earning 193.45 overall which was more than 20 points ahead of the silver medalist Yukari Nakano.

 

Her success continued at the Cup of China, where she received a score of 63.64 in the short program and 128.11 in the long program. She also earned a level 4 on her all three spins and spiral sequence. The combined total of 191.75 was nearly 21 points ahead of the silver medalist Miki Ando, and her performance qualified Kim for a spot in the 2008-2009 Grand Prix Final.

 

At the 2008-2009 Grand Prix Final, held in Goyang, South Korea, she placed first in the short program with 65.94 points and second in the free skate, for which she earned 120.41 points. She finished second overall with a total score of 186.35 points, 2.20 behind Mao Asada.

Kim competed in the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. She set a new world record of 72.24 points in the short program of the competition with a clean performance. She scored 116.83 in the free skating program, keeping the lead with 189.07 points overall and winning the Four Continents Championships.

 

During the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, she set another new world record of 76.12 points in the short program, outscoring her previous world record by almost four points. She also won the free skating program scoring 131.59 points, showing great presentation skills with her artistry and her musicality. As a result, she set a new world record total of 207.71, as well as winning her first World Figure Skating Championships title. She became the first female skater to surpass 200 points under the ISU Judging system. Her margin of victory was a whopping 16.42 points over the silver medalist Joannie Rochette. Kim was the only female skater whose triple-triple combination was recognized by the judges in both the short and free programs during the 2008-2009 season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2009-2010 season

 

 

Kim was assigned to the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and the 2009 Skate America in the Grand Prix competitions for the 2009-2010 season.

At the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, Kim placed first in the short program with a score of 76.08 points, 16.44 points ahead of Yukari Nakano, who placed second in that segment of the competition. She did a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination followed by a triple flip and a double axel. The spiral sequence and all spins were graded a level four. Opening with a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination and showing great artistical skills, Kim also won the free skate scoring 133.95 points. Overall she won the event with 210.03 points, 36.04 over silver medalist Mao Asada. She set world records for the free skate and the overall score under the ISU Judging System.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.yunakim.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Yu-Na

http://www.koreanfs.com/standard/home/?document_srl=1413