By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff reporter
Korean Olympic skating champion Kim Yu-na started her days in Toronto with a huge surprise ― a letter from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
All That Sports, Kim's agency, said Wednesday the skater belatedly found the letter, a reply to her message sent to the former U.S. first lady and now Secretary of State in April, at the Cricket Skating and Curling Club in Toronto, where the 19-year-old arrived last week for training.
"Thank you for your thoughtful letter and kind words of support," the letter said.
"You were absolutely extraordinary at the Vancouver Olympics! I greatly enjoyed both of your short and long programs, and was simply awed by the grace and athleticism of your gold-medal winning performance."
Clinton also praised Queen Yu-na's off-ice activities, including her recent contribution to Haiti. Kim donated 100 million won ($79,968) to the Korean Committee for UNICEF in January to be used for the relief efforts in the earthquake-ridden country.
"Thank you for serving as a role model for women and girls everywhere with the passion and dedication you display for your craft, and the humility with which you believe in serving the community," Clinton said.
"I will certainly continue to follow your career with great interest and am honored to know my example motivates and inspires you."
Earlier, Kim penned a hand-written letter to Clinton to thank her for her congratulations on Kim's gold medal-winning performance at the Vancouver Winter Games in February.
Clinton's remarks were cited by Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan later in the month, during a luncheon meeting with Korean correspondents in Washington. Clinton was quoted as saying she stayed up late to watch Kim's performance on television, and even spoke about it with her daughter Chelsea on the phone later.
Kim said in a statement she was "truly surprised and happy for the letter."
"I never thought she would really reply to my letter. I do thank her for that," the skater said. "I will put my best efforts to show the world my best on ice."
After disheartening performances at the World Championship following the glorious Vancouver ones, in spite of a silver-medal result, Kim was rumored to be considering retirement from competition.
The Korean skating phenomenon, however, denied the possibility before leaving for Canada by saying it was "not an immediate choice" because she was leaving for her training schedule.
"I still haven't confirmed detailed plans for this season. But I'm going to Toronto to prepare new programs, not to call it quits," Kim said.
Kim will return home in July for the "All That Skate Summer" show scheduled for July 23- 25 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, near Seoul. Other than Yu-na, the show will feature a set of star skaters including legendary U.S. skater and her own younger-days idol, Michelle Kwan.