This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.

Kim Yu-na (Hangul: 김연아, Hanja: 金姸兒, IPA: [kimjʌna]; born September 5, 1990) is a South Korean figure skater.

She is the 2010 Olympic champion in ladies singles, the 2009 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a three-time (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2009–2010) 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 Senior national champion.

Kim is the first South Korean figure skater to win a medal at an ISU Junior or Senior Grand Prix event, ISU Championship, and the Olympic Games. She is the first female skater to win the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the Four Continents Championships and the Grand Prix Final. She is one of the most highly recognized athletes and media figures in South Korea.^[1]

As of October 2010^[update], she is ranked 1st in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU).^[2] She is the current record holder for ladies in the short program,^[3] the free skating^[4] and the combined total^[5] under the ISU Judging System. She was also the first female skater to surpass the 200-point mark^[5] under the ISU Judging System. She has never placed off the podium in her entire career.^[6]

Personal life

Kim was born in 1990 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do and moved to Gunpo when she was six years old. She currently lives and trains in Artesia, California, USA.

In 2008, Kim was baptized as a Catholic alongside her mother, taking the saint's name Stella.^[7] In 2009, Kim enrolled at Korea University as a BSc in Physical Education student.^[8]

The correct transcription of her name from Korean script would be 'Kim Yeona' or 'Kim Yeon-a'. However, when she applied for her passport, she intended to write her name as 'Yun-a', but the official mis-wrote her name as 'Yu-na'. In Hangul 'Yuna' would properly be spelled "유나" and not "연아." ^[9]

Career

Early career

Kim began skating at the age of 7. Her coach at the time, Jong-Hyeon Ryu, strongly suggested to Kim's mother that Kim should continue to skate, predicting that she would become a world-class figure skater in the future.^[10]

In 2002, she competed internationally for the first time at the Triglav Trophy, where she won the gold medal in the novice competition. A year later, at age 12, she won the senior title at the South Korean Figure Skating Championships, becoming the youngest skater ever to win that title. She won her second international competition at the Golden Bear of Zagreb, a novice competition. She continued her reign as the South Korean champion in 2004.

Junior career

2004–2005 season

In the 2004–2005 season, Kim competed as a junior at the ISU Junior Grand Prix. She won a silver medal at the event in China and a gold medal at the event in Hungary. She won a silver medal at the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final with an overall score of 137.75 points.

She retained her National Championship title for the third year in a row on her way to the 2005 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. At that competition, she won a silver medal earning 158.93 points.

2005–2006 season

For the 2005–2006 season, Kim was not old enough to compete at the 2006 Olympics, even if South Korea were granted a spot at the final qualifying competition, the 2005 Karl Schäfer Memorial.

Instead, she competed in the 2005–2006 Junior Grand Prix and won both of her competitions in Bulgaria and Slovakia. At the 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final, she won the competition 28.34 points ahead of silver medalist Aki Sawada. During her free skate, she 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 and won the gold medal scoring 177.54 points overall, with a 24.19-point margin of victory over Asada.

Senior career

2006–2007 season

In order to prepare for her senior debut in the 2006–2007 season, Kim trained extensively at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club of Toronto, Canada during the summer of 2006.

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 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 a margin of 11.68 ahead over silver medalist Mao Asada.

Kim was forced to withdraw due to an injury at 2006–2007 South Korean Championships and was unable to defend her national title. In January 2007, Kim was diagnosed as being in the early stage of lumbar disc herniation (L₄~L₅).^[11]

Kim was selected to compete at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships based on her performance during the season. Because of the placement of Choi Ji Eun the year before, South Korea had only one spot in the World Championships. During the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kim won the short program with 71.95 points, setting the highest short program score ever under the ISU Judging System and consequently, a world record.^[12] She placed fourth in the long program earning 114.19 points, and finished third overall with 186.14 points behind Japanese skaters Miki Ando and Mao Asada. Kim's placement qualified South Korea two ladies entries for the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships.^[13] Kim was the only lady skater whose triple-triple combination was recognized by the judges in both the short and the free skating programs in the 2006-2007 season.

In March 2007, Brian Orser became her new full-time coach. Satisfied with the training environment in Toronto, Kim made Toronto her training home.^[1]

2007–2008 season

Kim started off the 2007–2008 season winning the 2007 Cup of China with a total score of 180.68 points, which 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 free skate with 133.70 points, to finish first overall with 197.20 points, 24.43 ahead of silver medalist Yukari Nakano, which set a world record for the free skate score under the ISU Judging System. She executed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop, a triple lutz-double toe loop combination, a double axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz, a triple salchow and double axel.^[14]

She qualified for the 2007–2008 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Turin, Italy. She won the short program with 64.62 points and was placed second in the free skate earning 132.21. With a total score of 196.83 points, Kim won her second Grand Prix Final.

She did not compete at the 2007–2008 South Korean Nationals and withdrew from the 2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships a week before the event due to a hip injury. With persistent back pain, she competed at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. She was placed fifth in the short program with 59.85 points, but 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

at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.]]

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

At the 2008 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 a trouble in her double axel.^[15] She went on to capture the ladies title by winning the free skate as well with a score of 123.95. She won the event earning 193.45 points overall, a score that was more than 20 points ahead of silver medalist Yukari Nakano of Japan.

Her success continued at the 2008 Cup of China, where she received a score of 63.64 in the short program and 128.11 in the free skate, placing first in both of them. The combined total of 191.75 was nearly 21 points ahead of silver medalist Miki Ando of Japan. Her performance qualified her for a spot in the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final.

During the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final, which was held in Goyang, South Korea, she was placed first in the short program with 65.94 points and second in the free skate where she earned 120.41 points. She won silver medal with a total score of 186.35 points, 2.20 behind Mao Asada of Japan.

Kim competed in the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver, Canada. She set a new world record of 72.24 points in the short program^[16] in 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 gold medal.

During the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, held in Los Angeles, United States, she set another new world record of 76.12 points in the short program, surpassing her previous record by almost four points.^[17] She performed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz and a double axel as well as earning a level four on all her spins and her spiral sequence. She also won the free skating program, scoring 131.59 points and showing great presentation skills with her artistry and her musicality. She executed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a double axel, a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz and a double axel. As a result, she set a new world record total of 207.71 as well as winning her first World Championship title and she became the first female skater to surpass 200 points^[18] under the ISU Judging System. Her margin of victory was 16.42 points ahead of silver medalist Joannie Rochette. She was the only competitor who earned eights in program components marks in both the short program and the free skate at the competition.^[19][20] 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.^[21][22]

2009–2010 season

 at the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard.]]

Kim was assigned to the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and the 2009 Skate America in the 2009–2010 ISU Grand Prix season.

At the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, she placed first in the short program with the score of 76.08 points, 16.44 points ahead of Yukari Nakano. She successfully executed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, followed by a triple flip and a double axel. Her spiral sequence and all three spins were graded a level four. Opening with a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination and showing great artistic skills, she won the free skate scoring 133.95 points. She also executed a double axel-double toe loop-double loop, a double axel-triple toe loop, a triple salchow, a triple lutz and a double axel. She won the event with 210.03 points, 36.04 ahead of silver medalist Mao Asada. Kim set world records for the free skate and the overall score under the ISU Judging System at the competition.^[23]

At the 2009 Skate America, Kim placed first again after the short program with the score of 76.28, which was 17.48 points ahead of her closest competitor Rachael Flatt. She received +2.20 grade of execution for her triple lutz-triple toe loop combination,^[24] the highest ever given for jumps by the ISU in ladies' figure skating. She placed second in the free skate with the score of 111.70 points, due to mistakes in her jumps. Although it was one of her lowest scores, she still won the event with 187.98 points, beating silver medalist Rachael Flatt with a lead of 13.07. At the competition, she set a new world record again for the short program under the ISU Judging System.^[25]

Her victories in both Grand Prix events qualified her for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2009. At the event, she placed second in the short program with 65.64 points, 0.56 behind Miki Ando. The next day, she won the free skate with 123.22 points. As a result, Kim won her third Grand Prix Final title with a total of 188.86 points.

2010 Winter Olympics

[[File:|thumb|left|Kim at the 2010 Winter Olympics medal ceremony.]]

In February 2010, Kim competed in the ladies event at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She entered the Games as a strong favorite to win the gold.^[26]

In the short program on February 23, she executed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double axel. Her spirals and her spins were graded a level four. Her technical score of 44.70 points was the highest of the event. She also received superior scores in the program components, where she received 33.80 due to her interpretative artistic skills. As a result Kim scored 78.50 points, taking the lead by 4.72 over Mao Asada of Japan and achieving her best score in the short program. She set a new world record.^[27]

On February 25 she won the free skate with a score of 150.06 points, 18.34 ahead of Asada, who also came in second place in that segment of the competition. Kim landed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip, a double axel-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple salchow, a triple lutz and a double axel as well as receiving level fours for her spins and her spiral sequence. Combined with her grace and musical expression, both her technical score of 78.30 and her presentation of 71.76 were the highest of the night. She was the only competitor to earn nines in her program components scores.^[28] She set a new world record for the free skate under the ISU Judging System.^[29] Overall, Kim totaled 228.56 points, shattering her personal best and own old world record by a margin of 18 points.^[29] She won the gold medal, becoming the first South Korean skater to medal in any discipline of figure skating at the Olympic Games. Kim's gold medal was South Korea's first medal at the Winter Olympics in a sport other than speed skating or short track.^[30] Due to her dominance for the past few years, she has been nicknamed "Queen Yuna".^{[31] [32][33][34]}

2010 World Championships

In March 2010, Kim competed at the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy. Kim said she had struggled with finding the motivation to compete at the World Championships after winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games.^[35] She placed seventh in the short program with 60.30 points. She opened with a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, but had problems with her layback spin and spiral sequence. She rebounded in the free skate to win the program with 130.49 points completing a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip, a double axel-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel-triple toe loop combination and a triple lutz, but having trouble with her triple salchow and double axel. She won the silver medal totalling 190.79 points.

2010-2011 season

Kim was assigned to the 2010 Cup of China and to the 2010 Cup of Russia for the 2010–2011 ISU Grand Prix season. However, she chose not to compete in the Grand Prix series to focus on the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships.^[36]

In August 2010, Kim and her coach Orser parted ways. Their split was first known to public by Orser’s press release.^[37] Orser said that his dismissal had been "sudden and unexpected" and that he had been given no explanation for the split^[37] and decided to make the separation public because he didn't want it to become a distraction for his other skaters, including Americans Adam Rippon and Christina Gao.^[38] However, Rippon said in an interview that they have known about the situation longer than the general public, and had time to deal with it. He said "It hasn't affected Brian's coaching, and it certainly hasn't affected my training." ^[39] Kim posted an online message accusing Orser of lying.^[40] She stated on her official website that they had been maintaining awkward and ambiguous relationship for months and that she was perplexed by Orser’s announcement. She also said that the dismissal had been her decision and that the reason behind it did not need to be made public.^[41][42] After the split, Orser gave multiple interviews regarding his dismissal.^[43][44] On August 25, 2010, Orser caused controversy by revealing Kim's 2010-2011 competitive program information to the press without Kim and her choreographer's consents.^[45][46][47] In September 2010, Kim left the rink where she had trained with Orser, and is now training at East West Ice Palace in Los Angeles owned by Michelle Kwan.^[48]

On October 5, 2010, it was announced that Peter Oppegard will become Kim's new coach.^[49]

Skating techniques

Kim landed her first triple jump at the age of 10, and at 12, she used five triple jumps in her figure skating programs.^[50] When she was 14 years old, she landed her first triple-triple combination jump at the 2005 World Junior Championships.^[51]

Kim has executed three different triple-triple combination jumps in competitions: a triple lutz-triple toe loop,^[52] a triple flip-triple toe loop,^[53] and a triple toe loop-triple toe loop.^[54] She can also execute a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop jump combination.^[55] She has received +2.20 grade of execution for jumps,^[24] and she has also received +2.00 grade of execution for her spiral sequence,^[56] steps sequence^[57] and spins.^[57]

One of Kim's most famous moves is the bent-leg layover camel spin. She has performed the spin position since 2004. Although she did not invent the move, it is now frequently called the "Yuna spin" or "Yuna camel".^[58][59][60]

Her signature move is a layback ina bauer that she leads directly into a double axel jump, to a double axel-triple toe loop jump combination or to a double axel-double toe loop-double loop jump combination.

Kim is famous for her technical skill, high jumps, speed, wide ice coverage, mature artistry, musicality, grace, elegance and for the great ice coverage of her jumps due to her high speed take-off. Her triple lutz-triple toe loop combination jump is known for its huge scale.^[61][62][63]

Public life and endorsements

Among Kim's official sponsors are Kookmin Bank, Nike, Korean Air and Hyundai Motor Company. Her other endorsements include Anycall (mobile phone), Hauzen (air conditioner), Lac Vert (cosmetics), Maeil Dairies Co.Ltd (dairy products), Saffron (fabric softener), Tous Les Jours (bakery), J. Estina (jewelry) and Qua (apparel).^[64] Her skating music and other favorites were compiled in the album Yuna Kim ~ Fairy On ICE ~ Skating Music (Universal Music Korea, 2008).^[65]

Kim's short program, long program and combined total scores in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were the highest scores ever since the ISU Judging System was created, and were automatically registered in the Guinness World Records.^[66] After the 2010 Winter Olympics, Hillary Clinton praised Kim's performance.^[67] Kim thanked her in a letter.^[68][69]

Kim was the headliner of the ice show 2008, 2009 and 2010 Festa on Ice produced by her former agency, IB Sports. IB Sports produced another ice show, Ice All Stars 2009, which took place in Seoul on August 14–16, 2009. Michelle Kwan, who is Kim's idol and the most decorated figure skater in the U.S. history, joined the ice show.^[70]

In April 2010, Kim left IB Sports and set up her own agency All That Sports Corp. (AT Sports) with the support of her mother.^[71] They organized an ice show, All That Skate.^[72]

Kim has appeared in many commercials in South Korea. Her commercial for a new touchscreen haptic phone from Samsung Electronics, dubbed as Yuna's Haptic (SPH-W7700), sold over one million devices in a record seven months.^[73][74][75] During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Forbes magazine named Kim, along with American snowboarder Shaun White, as the top-earning athletes participating in the Olympics with $7.5 million each to their name.^[76] In August 2010, Forbes magazine listed her as one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, with annual earnings of $9.7 million.^[77]

Kim has worked in several projects as a singer. She recorded a duet with K-pop singer Lee Seung-gi to collaborate on "Smile Boy", the 2010 Football World Cup commercial song.^[78][79][80] She also sang with Korean band Big Bang on the single "Shouts of Reds" created for the Korean World Cup soccer team. Kim has also performed songs by Korean pop singers IU, Narsha and BoA on the television show Kim Jung Eun's Chocolate.^[81]

Kim was named as an ambassador for the 2010–2012 Visit Korea Year.^[82] Kim has been rated as one of the world's most influential people in 2010 by TIME. Michelle Kwan offered her congratulations to celebrate.^[83] In July 2010, Kim was named international UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.^[84] She was also named an ambassador for the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit alongside actress Han Hyo Joo and soccer player representative Park Ji-Sung.^[85]

In August 2010, in honor of Kim's visit, Los Angeles City designated Aug. 7 as "Yu-Na Kim Day," and granted her honorary citizenship. She also received the “Proud Korean Award” from the Korean American Leadership Foundation in the city on the same day as Sammy Lee, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in men’s diving in 1948 and 1952.^[86][87][88]

In September 2010, Kim was invited to the United Nation's New York headquarter to mark the annual International Day of Peace celebration in capacity of UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador.^[89] She joined the ceremony alongside high level UN officials including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Goodwill Ambassadors representing other branches of the United Nations. There, she advocated peace messages from UNICEF.^[90]

In October 2010, Kim and her management All That Sports debuted 2010 All That Skate LA, a US version of their highly successful Korean ice show brand, All That Skate, at Staples Center, Los Angeles. The show, which was directed by renowned Canadian choreographer David Wilson and boasted an impressive all-star cast, including the five-time world champion Michelle Kwan, the reigning Olympic champions from three skating disciplines including Kim, and many world champions, received rave reviews from both figure skating fans and critics for bringing a new style of skating show to the US and also for its overall high quality production.^[91][92][93] The show, held on October 2 through 3rd, was broadcasted nationwide in the US through NBC network on Octorber 10th.^[94]

In October 2010, Kim wins Sportswoman of the Year from Women's Sports Foundation on October 12. She received the Sportswoman of the Year Award for individual sport athletes.^[95]

Donations

Kim donated more than 2 billion won ($1.7 million) over her career.^[96] Her charitable contributions include:

• Jan 2007 – 12 million won scholarships to 6 young skaters after her first advertisement endorsement of Kookmin Bank.
• May 2007 – 10 million won scholarship to fellow skater Hyeon-Jung Kim after making a contract with LG Household & Health Care advertisement.^[97]
• Sep 2007 – 200 million won (100 million of her own + 100 million won additional contributions from Ivy Club) in form of school uniforms to low-income-family youths after making a contract with Ivy Club advertisement.^[98]
• Dec 2007 – 100 school uniforms (worth 20 million won) to youths damaged by Taean oil spill disaster.^[99]
• Apr 2008 – Visited to Everland with 800 children from Seoul Boys Town on Kookmin Bank Volunteer Day.^[100]
• May 2008 – 50 million won (in addition to contributions from Daishin Securities) to young skaters after giving a talk to public at Daishin Investment Forum 2008.^[101]
• May 2008 – 40 million won worth of one-year provision of Maeil Dairies Company products to low-income-family youths.^[102]
• May 2008 – Participated in the recording of a humanitarian song "I Love Asia" Project to help earthquake victims of Sichuan, China.^[103]
• Dec 2008 – 100 million won worth of school uniforms to low-income-family youths after renewing her advertisement contract with Ivy Club.^[104]
• Dec 2008 – Over 1,000 dolls, she received at Grand Prix Final, to juvenile cancer wards in hospitals in metropolitan Seoul area.^[105]
• Dec 2008 – 50 million won to young skaters at "Little Yuna' Youth skaters support project" Campaign of Sports Toto Lottery Company.^[106]
• Dec 2008 – 144 million won, total amount of ticket earnings from the charity ice show “Angels on Ice 2008” to children with rare diseases and juvenile cancer patients.^[107]
• Apr 2009 – 100 million won worth of dairy products to low-income-family youths through the Seongname Welfare Center of World Vision.^[108]
• May 2009 – Visited Asan Hospital to inquire after juvenile cancer patients on Children’s Day.^[109]
• May 2009 – 100 million won and skate boots while participating in UNICEF Pigotta Doll Project to help children with immunization campaign.^[110]
• Dec 2009 – Her portrait rights for free to be included in the Christmas seals for tuberculosis eradication.^[111]
• Jan 2010 – 100 million won through UNICEF to Haiti relief.^[112][113]
• Apr 2010 – 40 million won fee for appearing in a radio campaign for the rights of the disabled to Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities.^[114]
• Apr 2010 – 50 million won, some part of earnings from Festa on Ice 2010, to ChunAhn-Häm (sunken Korean battleship) victims who passed away in the ship.^[115]
• Jul 2010 - As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, she thanked Haiti donors.^[116]
• Aug 2010 - $10,000 to UNICEF. It was the prize money awarded to Kim with her Proud Korean Award by the Korean-American Leadership Foundation in Los Angeles.^[117]

Programs

Competitive highlights

Senior Results

Junior Results

• S = Senior level
• N = Novice level
• J = Junior level

Detailed results

Senior Results

• SP = Short program; FS = Free skating
• World records highlighted in bold
• Season bests highlighted in Italic

Junior Results

• ISU season bests highlighted in Italic.
• QR = Qualifying round; SP = Short program; FS = Free skating

References

External links

• Official website (Korean) (English)
• Yuna Kim at the International Skating Union
• Yuna Kim's profile on Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics official website
• Yuna Kim channel at YouTube

Kim Yu-Na (Hangul: 김연아, Hanja: 金姸兒, IPA: [kimjʌna]; born September 5, 1990 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do) is a South Korean figure skater.

She is the 2010 Olympic champion in ladies singles, the 2009 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a three-time (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2009–2010) Grand Prix Final champion, the 2006 World Junior champion, the 2005–2006 2005–2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix|Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a four-time (2002–2005) South Korean national champion.

Kim is the first South Korean figure skater to get a medal at the Olympic Games. She is one of the most known athletes in South Korea.^[1]

As of April 2010, she became the first in the world by the International Skating Union.^[2] She was also the first female skater to pass the 200-point mark under the ISU Judging System.

Personal life

Kim Yu-Na was born in 1990 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, and moved to Gunpo when she was six. In March 2007, she went to Canada to train for her figure-skating with her judge, Brian Orser. In 2009, Kim went into Korea University,^[3] but she still is continuing her training in Canada.

The right spelling of her name is 'Kim Yeona' or 'Kim Yeon-a'. However, when she applied for a passport, she wanted her name written as 'Yun-a', but the official made a mistake and wrote her name as 'Yu-na'. In Korean 'Yu-na' would be written as "유나" and not "연아."^[4]

Career

Early career

Kim began skating when she was seven years old. At that time, her coach, Ryu Jong-Hyeon, approved of Kim's talent. Because of this, he asked Kim's mother that Kim should continue to learn how to skate, saying that she would become a wonderful figure skater in the future.^[5]

In 2002, she competed internationally for the first time at the Triglav Trophy, and won a gold medal there. A year later, when she was 12 years old, she won the senior title at the South Korean Figure Skating Championships. She was the youngest skater ever to win that title. She won her second international contest at the Golden Bear of Zagreb.

Junior career

2004–2005 season

In the 2004–2005 season, as a junior skater, Kim 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 at the event in China and a gold medal at the event in Hungary. She won a silver medal at the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final with an overall score of 137.75 points.

She retained her National Championship title for the third year in a row on her way to the 2005 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. At that competition, she won a silver medal again, earning 158.93 points.

2005–2006 season

For the 2005–2006 season, Kim was not old enough to compete at the 2006 Olympics.

So instead, she went to the 2005–2006 Junior Grand Prix and won both of the contests, in Bulgaria and Slovakia. At the 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final, she won the competition by getting 28.34 points more than Aki Sawada, who had gotten the silver medal. During her freeskate, she made seven triple jumps, including a triple flip.

At the 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, she was the rival of Mao Asada, a Japanese figure-skater, and won the gold medal. When she won this medal, she had made 177.54 points.

Senior career

2006–2007 season

In order to prepare for her next contest in the 2006–2007 season, Kim practiced very much at the Skating and Curling Club of Toronto in Canada during the summer of 2006. She was trained by Brian Orser and David Wilson.

Kim won a bronze medal at the 2006 Skate Canada after earning a score of 168.48 points. She won the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard with a score of 184.54 points, 10.10 ahead of Miki Ando, the skater who got the silver medal. Those performances made Kim be allowed to the Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg, Russia. At this place, Kim won, earning 184.20 points, which was 11.68 points more than Mao Asada, who earned the silver medal.

Kim was forced to stop because she got hurt at the 2006–2007 South Korean Championships. Because of this, she had to go to the hospital.^[6]

Kim was picked to compete at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships. During the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kim won the short program with 71.95 points, setting a world record.^[7] She placed fourth in the long program scoring 114.19 points, and finished the third one with 186.14 points behind Miki Ando and Mao Asada of Japan. Kim's points helped two more South Korean ladies come for the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships.^[8]

In March 2007, Brian Orser became Kim's new full-time coach. Because she liked the training environment in Toronto, Kim made Toronto her training home. Her coaches included at that time Brian Orser, Astrid Shrubb, David Wilson, and Tracy Wilson.^[1]

2007–2008 season

Kim started off the 2007–2008 season by winning the 2007 Cup of China with a score of 180.68 points, which was 24.34 ahead of Caroline Zhang, who had gotten the silver medal. At the 2007 Cup of Russia, Kim won both the short program scoring 63.50 points and the free skate with 133.70 points. So she set a world record for the free skate score under the ISU Judging System. She also did a flip jump-toe loop put together, a loop jump, a lutz jump-toe loop jump, an axel jump-toe loop jump, and a triple lutz jump. ^[9]

She was allowed to the 2007–2008 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Turin, Italy. She won the short program with 64.62 points. With a score of 196.83 points, Kim won her second Grand Prix Final.

Kim did not attend the 2007–2008 South Korean Nationals and also did not go to the 2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships because of a hip injury. Even though she still had back pain, she went to the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. She was placed fifth in the short program with 59.85 points. She scored 183.23 points overall, and won her second bronze medal.

2008–2009 season

[[File:‎|thumb|right|Kim performing at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.]]

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

At the 2008 Skate America, Kim was placed first in the short program with a score of 69.50.^[10] She went on to get the ladies title by winning the free skate with a score of 123.95. She won the event with 193.45 points, which was more than 20 points ahead of Yukari Nakano of Japan, who won the silver medal.

Kim continued to win and earn medals at the 2008 Cup of China, where she received a score of 63.64 in the short program and 128.11 in the free skate, winning first in both of them. The became all together 191.75. Her performance let her into the 2008–2009 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final|2008–2009 Grand Prix Final.

During the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final, which was held in Goyang, South Korea, she was placed first in the short program with 65.94 points and second in the free skate where she earned 120.41 points. She won silver medal with a total score of 186.35 points, 2.20 points behind Mao Asada of Japan.

Kim contested in the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver, Canada. She set a new world record of 72.24 points in the short program^[11]. She also scored 116.83 in the free skating program, winning the gold medal.

During the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, held in Los Angeles, United States, she set another new world record of 76.12 points, surpassing her previous record by almost four points.^[12] She performed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz jump and a double axel jump. At the same time, she earned a level four on all her spins. She also won the free skating program, scoring 131.59 points and showing great skills with her artistry and her musical abilities. Because of these, she set a new world record of 207.71 as well as winning her first World Championship title and she became the first female skater to go over 200 points^[13] under the ISU Judging System. Her score was 16.42 points ahead of Joannie Rochette, the woman who earned the silver medal. She was the only competitor who earned eights in program components marks in both the short program and the free skate at the competition.^[14][15] Kim was the only female skater whose triple-triple combination was seen by the judges in both the short and free programs during the 2008–2009 season.^[16][17]

2009–2010 season

Kim was assigned to the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and the 2009 Skate America in the 2009–2010 ISU Grand Prix season.

At the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, she won first in the short program with the score of 76.08 points, 16.44 points ahead of Yukari Nakano. Her three spins were all graded as a level four. Showing great artistic skills, she won the free skate scoring 133.95 points. She won the event with 210.03 points, 36.04 ahead of Mao Asada. Kim set world records for the free skate.^[18]

At the 2009 Skate America, Kim won first again, which was 17.48 points more than Rachael Flatt. She received +2.20 points for her triple lutz-triple toe loop combination.^[19] This was the highest point ever given for jumps by the ISU in ladies' figure skating. She also won second in the free skate with the score of 111.70 points, because of her mistakes in her jumps. Although it was one of her lowest scores, she still won the event with 187.98 points, beating Rachael Flatt. At the competition, she set a new world record again.^[20]

Her victories in both Grand Prix events qualified her for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2009. At the event, she placed second in the short program with 65.64 points, 0.56 behind Miki Ando. The next day, she won the free skate with 123.22 points. Because of all these, Kim finally won her third Grand Prix Final title with a score of 188.86 points.

In February 2010, Kim competed at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, where she won gold medal.

In March 2010, Kim competed at the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy. Kim said she had tried but had a hard time with competing.^[21] She won seventh in the short program with 60.30 points. She opened with a triple lutz-triple toe loop, but had problems with her spinning. In the end, She won the silver medal totalling 190.79 points.

2010 Winter Olympics

Kim competed in the ladies event at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In the short program on February 23, she made a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double axel. She set a new world record.^[22]

On February 25, she won the free skate with a score of 150.06 points, 18.34 points more than Asada, who also came in second place. Kim was the only one who earned nines in marks.^[23] She set a new world record.^[24] Overall, Kim totaled 228.56 points, shattering her personal best and own old world record by a margin of 18 points.^[24] She won the gold medal, becoming the first South Korean skater to medal in any contests of figure skating at the Olympic Games. Kim's gold medal was South Korea's first medal at the Winter Olympics in a sport other than speed skating or short track.^[25]

Public life and endorsements

The places Kim advertised for are Anycall (mobile phone), Hauzen (air conditioner), Hyundai Motor Company (automobiles), Kookmin Bank, Korean Air, Lac Vert (cosmetics), Maeil Dairies Co.Ltd (Dairy products), Nike, Saffron (fabric softener).^[26]

Her skating music and other favorites were put and sold in the album Yuna Kim ~ Fairy On ICE ~ Skating Music (Universal Music Korea, 2008).^[27]

She was the headliner of the 2008 and 2009 Festa On Ice, which presented other world class figure skaters. IB Sports, Kim's agency, produced the ice show. The 2010 Festa On ice is going to be on April 16–18, 2010. IB Sports produced another ice show, Ice All Stars 2009, which took place in Seoul on August 14–16, 2009. Michelle Kwan, who is Kim's idol, joined the ice show.^[28]

Kim was also named as an ambassador for the 2010–2012 Visit Korea Year.^[29]

Kim has appeared on many commercials in South Korea. She sings in some commercials. Her commercial for a new touchscreen haptic phone from Samsung Electronics, dubbed as Yuna's Haptic (SPH-W7700), was done in South Korea on May 24, 2009.^[30] In the commercial, she plays a rock singer, a teenager, and a writer to show off various features of the phone.^[31] Samsung Electronics has sold over one million devices in a record seven months.^[32]

Competitive highlights

Senior Results

Junior Results

• S = Senior level
• N = Novice level
• J = Junior level

Detailed results

Senior Results

[[File:|thumb|right|Kim with her gold medal at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.]]

• SP = Short program; FS = Free skating
• World bests highlighted in bold
• Season bests highlighted in Italic

Junior Results

• ISU season bests highlighted in Italic.
• QR = Qualifying round; SP = Short program; FS = Free skating

References

Other websites

• Official website (Korean) (English)
• Kim Yu-Na's profile on NBC
• Kim Yu-Na's profile on CTV
• Figure Skating Women Gold, Vancouver 2010 at YouTube