Having freed herself from the burden of expectations, South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na said Wednesday she thinks her hard work will pay off at her long-awaited season debut this weekend in Germany.
Kim will compete at the NRW Trophy in Dortmund, Germany, with the short program scheduled for Saturday, followed by the free skate on Sunday. This will be the first appearance of the season for the 2010 Olympic champion. Her last competitive event was the 2011 world championships in Moscow in April of last year.
Speaking to reporters before flying out of Incheon International Airport, Kim said she thinks she has put in enough work to be successful in Germany.
“This is my first competition in a long time, and I am concerned and excited at the same time,” said Kim, who also has a 2009 world championship to her credit.
Kim Yu-na poses at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)
“I’ve put in a lot of hours to improve my conditioning and techniques. I will bear down extra hard for the competition.”
After sitting out the entire 2011-12 season while mulling over her future, Kim, 22, announced in July this year that she would return to competitive skating in 2012, with an eye on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Then in October, Kim reunited with two of her childhood coaches, Shin Hye-sook and Ryu Jong-hyun, and parted ways with Peter Oppegard, her American coach of two years.
Since she has missed recent major events, such as the International Skating Union Grand Prix stops last year and this year, and the 2012 world championships, Kim has to earn enough technical points to qualify for the 2013 worlds in London, Canada.
The NRW Trophy is a minor competition for skaters needing to score points for world championships. To book a spot in the world championships, Kim needs to earn at least 28 points from her technical element score in the short program, and at least 48 points from the TES in free skating.
Kim said she is confident she will earn those points.
“When I first decided to return, I was worried if I could pull it off,” she said. “I tried to lower my expectations and to enjoy myself more on the ice. That ended up helping me physically, and I was able to stay focused even when the training became really difficult.” (Yonhap News)
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