Guts, Glory in Gothenburg
Hurting Yu-na Braces for All Comers at Figure Skating Worlds
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
At last year's International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating World Championships, Japan's Miki Ando and Mao Asada and South Korea's Kim Yu-na took center stage, topping the annual contest in that sequence.
Those three are again considered the favorites to medal among the 53 participants competing for the women's world title this week in Gothenburg, Sweden, although the owner of each medal is likely to change.
Kim, who won her second straight World Grand Prix Final title in December in Turin, Italy, is seeking her first world championship.
While it is uncertain if the 17-year-old Korean is fully recovered from a hip injury, which prevented her from competing against her rivals at the Four Continents Championships in Korea last month, she has evolved in her jumps and choreography. She scored 197.20 points at the Cup of Russia in November, which is the best total in any ISU-organized event.
In addition, Kim defeated Asada 196.83-191.59 in Italy.
``As I still have some pain, I am not in good shape. But keeping it in mind, I have fixed my physical conditioning, so I could add stamina,'' Kim said after an official practice on Monday.
``I will perform a double axel, not a triple-loop jump, because I am not as healthy as I was at the Grand Prix Final. Perfection counts in competition, so I will not strain myself.''
Despite falling to Kim at the Grand Prix Final for the second straight year, Asada rebounded to win the Four Continents championship.
``Last year, I came in second in the World Championships, and I am working hard and training hard,'' Asada said to the Associated Press.
``This time around, I would at least like to match that rank and hopefully even do better.''
However, the Japanese figure skater won't have a coach while trying to fight off Kim, Ando and the 50 other skaters. The former Grand Prix Final winner recently parted with American coach Rafael Arutunian and moved her training site from the United States to Japan.
Meanwhile, Ando has struggled, remaining winless since she won the World Championships last year. The 20-year-old native of Nagoya, Japan, was disqualified from the World Grand Prix Final, where she has participated for three years in a row. She settled for third overall at the Four Continents in Korea after winning the short program.
What's worse, a shoulder injury is preventing her from attempting a quadruple jump. She is the only women's skater to successfully complete the skill in competition.
The short program starts at 5:16 p.m. Wednesday (in Korean Standard Time), and the free skating at 2:30 a.m. Friday.