 Kim Yu-na, seen here in a file photo, will be competing at Skate America in Lake Placid, N.Y. beginning Friday (KST). The figure skating star will be going for her seventh straight Grand Prix title and looking to clinch a place at the Grand Prix Final next month in Japan. |
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
World champion Kim Yu-na has set her sights on clinching her seventh straight Grand Prix victory and eventually, a berth in the finals.
The 19-year-old star figure skater will compete at Skate America, the fifth event of the six-leg Grand Prix series, in Lake Placid, N.Y., scheduled for Friday (KST).
The top six skaters from the six events will qualify for the Grand Prix Final, which will take place on Dec. 3 in Tokyo, Japan.
"Kim will fly from Toronto to Lake Placid on Wednesday (local time),'' IB Sports, Kim's agency, said.
Kim has been staying in Toronto, Canada, training under two-time Olympian Brian Orser.
"She is in really good shape physically and mentally,'' Orser said.
Since debuting on the senior stage in 2006, Kim has topped all seven Grand Prix events in which she has competed, including the season-opening Trophee Eric Bompard in France last month.
She was also victorious at the Grand Prix Finals in 2006 and 2007.
Kim, who became the first female figure skater to surpass 200 points in her overall total with 207.71 at the World Championships in March, eclipsed her own record with 210.03 in Paris.
For the South Korean, the clear favorite for the gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics next February, this event is likely to be a battle against herself.
Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen of the United States, who was expected to vie with Kim for a gold medal, pulled out of the contest due to a calf injury Tuesday.
"It was determined that in order for me to fully recover, I should not compete this week," Cohen said in a statement released by United States Figure Skating.
The 25-year-old, who retired from the sport after the World Championship in March 2006, announced her comeback for the upcoming Winter Games in May, but the injury prevented her return to the ice. She also missed the season opener.
Emily Hughes, who is the youngest sister of 2002 Olympic champion Sarah Hughes, and came in seventh at the 2006 Games, will step in for Cohen on her home soil.
The field will also include Fumie Suguri of Japan, Rachael Flatt of the United States and Julia Sebestyen of Hungary, none of whom are expected to mount a threat to Kim.
In addition, Kim won't have to worry about jet lag as the competition takes place in the same time zone as Toronto.
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ksw@koreatimes.co.kr
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