Cold Flair
Yu-na Recovering Her Top Form After Hip Injury
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
When Kim Yu-na returned to Korea last month to treat her hip injury and withdrew from the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, held in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, many people were unsure if she would participate in the World Championships.
But the 17-year-old wunderkind has shaken off all fears and is eyeing her first world title at this season's final competition, which starts Monday in Gothenburg, Sweden.
``Kim has increased to 80 percent of her capability,'' her agency IB Sports said. ``Unless a hip injury bothers her, we expect her to take a good mark.''
Her doctor added: ``She is almost fully recovered, but strengthening her training might cause some pains.''
The two-time defending Grand Prix Final winner was hit by the injury in January and came back to South Korea on Feb. 11.
Instead of returning to Toronto, where she practices under Canadian coach Brian Orser, Kim decided to train in Korea to give herself extra time to prepare for the World Championships, where she set a world record in the short program last year en route to claiming a bronze medal.
Orser, an Olympic silver medallist, arrived in Korea last week. He said Kim's conditioning was worse than expected, and her stamina is an issue. While rehabilitating from the injury, she lost some physical strength, which is important in performing the jumps and spins in her routines.
Orser also said Kim is an outstanding skater, so if she displays staggering concentration, she can achieve a good result.
Because of Kim's achievements last year, Korea is allowed to send an additional skater to the World Championships.
Filling that spot will be Kim Na-young, a 17-year-old who won a gold medal at a local competition in January and ranked fourth at the Four Continents with a personal-best score of 158.49 points.
Although Na-young suffered a knee injury after a series of competitions, she has set her eye on advancing to the free skating program, which allows the top 24 skaters in the short program. She is studying new combination skills and has a goal to surpass 160 points.
The short program is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by the free skating the next day.