By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
World champion Kim Yu-na and Mao Asada of Japan will face off in the opening event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in October.
The International Skating Union (ISU) announced all entries for next season's six-leg series Sunday and set up a showdown between the two rivals ― born 20 days apart in September 1990 ― at the Trophee Eric Bompard Cachemire in Paris, scheduled for Oct. 15 to 18.
Alongside Asada, the defending World Grand Prix champion, the Grand Prix includes several competitive skaters including Carolina Kostner of Italy and Americans Sasha Cohen and Caroline Zhang.
Kostner, 22, is a two-time European champion and Grand Prix bronze medallist, while the 24-year-old Cohen, who finished second at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics and topped the Grand Prix final in 2003, is making a comeback for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics after a three-year retirement.
Zhang, 16, who made her senior debut in the 2007 season, was the World Junior Champion in 2007 and the Junior Grand Prix Final Champion in 2006.
However, Kim has a relatively easy draw in her second Grand Prix appearance at Skate America in Lake Placid, N.Y. from Nov. 12 to 15 where she will face Fumie Suguri of Japan, Rachael Flatt of the United States and Cohen. Asada has a tough schedule to start the season because she will have to fly to Moscow for the second Grand Prix meet at the Rostelecom Cup, the week after the first Grand Prix in Paris.
``I wanted to compete in France and the United States, and I am glad to see the outcome of the draw,'' said Kim, who trains in Toronto under coach Brian Orser.
``As it has been, I am not concerned about whom I compete with at the Grand Prix. But since the Paris event is the first of the season and elite skaters, such as Asada and Cohen, are slated to participate, I will prepare hard for it.''
Kim, who became the first female skater to earn over 200 points total at the World Championships in March, performed in Paris in her first year at the senior level in 2006 and won a gold medal with 184.54.
She also claimed the Skate America title last season by a margin of over 20 points.
Each of the Grand Prix series invites up to 12 competitors and a skater can compete in no less than two events.
After the six series, the top six skaters will advance to the final, which will take place in Tokyo from Dec. 3 to 6.
Meanwhile, another South Korean figure skater, Kim Na-young, who entered two Grand Prix contests and finished ninth in both last year, was not invited.
Kostner has become the world No. 1 female skater after edging Kim Yu-na by 21 points.
The Italian earned 3,861 points, while Kim had 3,840. Asada came in third with 3,699.
The standings are based on results from the World Championships, Winter Olympics, Grand Prix series and ISU-organized events over the last two years.
After capturing the World Championship title, Kim climbed to top spot with 4,652, but the loss of scores from the 2006 season ― a third-place finish in the World Championships and first in the Grand Prix final along with gold and bronze medals in the Grand Prix series ― saw her dethroned.