The perfect skater-coach marriage of Kim Yu Na and Brian Orser has turned into a nasty divorce. Apparently the management team of Kim Yu Na, headed up by her mother, has dismissed Brian Orser and apparently Orser has now broken a cardinal rule in figure skating and that was revealing the song to her new long program for 2011. There’s some sniping going on between the two parties. This is pretty unfortunate because they seemed like the right dynamic for a winning pair. Making things even more awkward is the fact that Kim Yu Na is still practicing in Toronto at the same rink that Orser is coaching other pupils. This is like dating where you work and you see each other in the cafeteria. Awkward!
The Winter Olympics have officially ended and the big story for Koreans around the world was Kim Yu Na’s gold medal winning performance in ladies’ figure skating. She broke the scoring record by holding nothing back in the free skate and in the end, she won the hearts of millions as she finally let tears flow. She was one of the great stories of the winter Olympics, having arrived in Vancouver with the highest of expectations and the weight of South Korea to win its first medal in figure skating. She performed to perfection and walks away from Vancouver knowing that she executed perfectly and lifted a nation. There have been thousands of articles written about her performance and you all witnessed her breathtaking performance, so we leave you with not just one thought but many thoughts and visuals of Kim Yu Na. Enjoy!
Everywhere I look, there’s a lot of articles about woman’s figure skating champion Kim Yu Na from her chances to winning the gold medal to being the top-earning athlete entering Vancouver. With the Winter Olympics about to start this week, she’s headlining so many articles because she’s intriguing on many fronts. Woman’s ice skating is traditionally the crown event at the winter Olympics and also because she comes into this event with so much pressure. She enters the Olympics with the weight of South Korea on her shoulders to win the country’s first ever gold medal in Olympic figure skating. Further heightening the pressure from South Korea is the fact that her #1 competitor is from Japan, Mao Asada, and we know about the very heated rivalry between these two countries. Unfortunately, Olympic figure skating has not been to kind to reigning world champions who enter the Olympic games. Brian Orser and Michelle Kwan are the faces of failed Olympic bids for the gold medal as both were very heralded reigning world champs. Coincidentally, Brian Orser is the coach for Kim Yu Na and it’s his first time coaching anybody. The New York Times released their second video about Kim Yu Na this week and it describes her relationship with Brian Orser and how she’s been transformed by him from a tactician to an elegant skating beauty. Kim Yu Na was this very raw talent when Brian Orser decided to coach her 4 years ago. She was typical of Korean athletes back then: win by practice and repetition. However, Brian released her creative side and let her express herself. What Brian wants is the judges and the crowds to cry for Kim Yu Na’s performance. So it begs the question, will we cry because she fails to win the gold medal or cry because her performance was so breathtaking?
For the full video on Kim Yu Na and her coach Brian Orser, go to the New York Times.
Hold the presses but the New York Times did a feature on Kim Yu Na, the top ranked women’s figure skater entering the Winter Olympics, and they didn’t write anything dumb like how Koreans like tall people with eyelid surgery and thin calves. Nice! With the Winter Olympics fast approaching, the New York Times is doing short video pieces on athletes and they’re trying to understand the nuances of their respective sport. Kim Yu Na and her coach Brian Orser are featured in the “Inside the Action” video this week as they discuss the execution of the very difficult triple lutz-triple toe loop. The New York Times doesn’t allow embeds so you’ll have to go to their website to check out the 2 minute video.
The Winter Olympics starts up this weekend and you know you’ll be glued to your television for the next couple of weeks. Time Magazine came out with it’s top athletes to watch out for during the Winter Olympics and Kim Yu Na is one of the featured athletes. She is South Korea’s biggest hope in winning a gold medal figure skating because she enters the games as the current world champion and therefore the unofficial favorite to win a gold medal. However, we all know about past Olympics and the disheartening falls of figure skating favorites. Will Kim Yu Na be able to handle the weight of South Korea on her shoulders or will she succumb to the pressures of living up to massive expectations?
Taekwondo, archery, short track — these are the niche sports in which South Korea tends to dominate. But a bright-light event such as figure skating? You bet, ever since Kim, 19, began racking up championships and setting records with the highest-scoring performances, quietly making her case to be the Olympic gold-medal favorite. Steady and consistent almost to the point of appearing robotic, Kim rarely slips on the ice — a skill that has served her well in the points-based judging system. She’s the current world champion and trains in Toronto but is hard to miss in Seoul — her image adorns buses, stores and cosmetics counters. When it comes to performing, the unflappable teen always delivers; Kim stood at the top of the podium in every competition she entered this season.
Kim Yu-Na, the delicate woman’s figure skater from South Korea came from behind to win the Grand Prix finals title in Tokyo, besting her rival Miki Ando of Japan. She was second after the short program but did just enough to edge out Ms. Ando. Kim Yu-Na started out 0.56 points behind her Japanese rival. Kim Yu-Na skated to Concerto in F by George Gershwin, earning 123.22 points in the free skating event for an overall score of 188.86 for the Grand Prix Finals title. This should give her confidence heading into next month’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver. However, she has to be careful because she hasn’t been mistake free in her last few competitions. She has the most talent and ability of anyone in the world, but it may come down to a few deductions for the gold medal. Hopefully Kim Yu-Na will win South Korea’s first gold medal in Olympic figure skating.
At Koreatown Plaza, a mall in the heart of the Korean community here, it is impossible to escape this week’s two hottest stories.
South Korea lost to its archrival, Japan, in the World Baseball Classic on Monday. Now attention has shifted to figure skating, where the South Korean Kim Yu-na is one of the favorites to win the world championships.
In the same city where South Korea and Japan clashed in baseball, there will be a second showdown between the nations. Kim’s biggest rival is Japan’s Mao Asada, the reigning world champion. Read>
Japan’s Mao Asada and South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na will headline a strong women’s field as they attempt to jump and spin their way to glory. The two 18-year-olds have each won three and lost three in their career head-to-head international meetings.
Kim will have the crowd on her side at Staples Center thanks to Los Angeles’ sizeable South Korean community which is expected to turn out in force.
Kim’s victory at the Four Continents was a major breakthrough for South Korea’s first international figure skater. Read>
Kim Yu Na wins the Four Continents skating event. With her impressive win in Vancouver, she’s quickly become the darling of women’s figure skating. This win also sets up an interesting match up with Mao Asada of Japan at next month’s world championship at the Staples Center in LA. For all you folks in Ktown, go buy tickets now!
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Japan’s Mao Asada and South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na will headline a strong women’s field as they attempt to jump and spin their way to glory. The two 18-year-olds have each won three and lost three in their career head-to-head international meetings.
Kim Yu Na wins the Four Continents skating event. With her impressive win in Vancouver, she’s quickly become the darling of women’s figure skating. This win also sets up an interesting match up with Mao Asada of Japan at next month’s world championship at the Staples Center in LA. For all you folks in Ktown, go buy tickets now!