Yu-na will choose new coach soon

By Yoon Chul

World No.1 figure star Kim Yu-na will soon begin training with a new coach.

The Korean figure skating icon said the number of candidates had been shortened to two.

“My new coach will be someone who lives in Los Angeles,” Kim said.

“The decision will be announced soon.”

There were some rumors that the Vancouver Olympic gold medalist’s new coach would be a skater who had trained Mao Asada in the past, but her agent AT Sports has denied this.

“The new coach is an American man. That rumor is not true,” an AT Sports official said.

“The first consideration in choosing a coach is the harmony between me and the coach, technically as well as mentally” Kim said. “The circumstances for training are also very important.”

The 20-year-old changed her training base camp from Toronto to LA — Michelle Kwan’s private rink, East West Ice Palace — after the split with her long-term coach Brian Orser.

“As it is tough to practice in Korea as a figure skater, I choose to train overseas. There are many good coaches and good circumstances so I don’t feel any inconvenience,” Kim said.

The new coach will be incorporated in the midst of preparations for her new program, but it will not be altered.

“As the choreographer is the same the program will not be changed,” Kim said.

Since Kim won the gold medal at the Winter Games in February, her promotional activities have more than doubled, and include promoting the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic bid and this extra work will be a barrier for effective training.

“I have more items in my schedule. But I will manage my agenda so not to interrupt my training,” Kim said.

“After I had achieved good results in the (Vancouver) Olympics it is true that my mind eased. But I still have enough time and l think I can improve my condition.

“I have already attained all my goals as an athlete so I lost my focus. But now I will train without any burdens and under strict rules,” Kim said.

The Korean figure skating icon did extremely well last season. She won the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix final and the gold medal at the Olympics in the ladies single event.

However she failed to match her previous performance at the World Championships, the last event of the season, in March.

She finished second and struggled, especially in the short program, falling down a few times.

Since then Kim has performed twice in an ice show in Korea and is scheduled to perform in another ice show in LA on Oct. 2 and 3.

While training in Toronto with her coach Orser, the gold-medal pair split.

Kim, who has already mentioned she would only appear in the World Championships before starting the season, is now working on her new program.

김연아, 곧 새 코치 2명으로 압축

김연아 세계 톱 피겨선수는 곧 신임 코치하에서 훈련을 하게 될 것 같다.

김선수는 물망에 오른 코치 후보가 2명으로 압축됐다고 밝혔다. 김선수는 “신임 코치는 LA에 거주하는 사람이 될 것”이라며 “곧 결정될 것”이라고

밝혔다.

신임 코치는 과거 아사다 마오를 훈련시킨 스케이트 선수가 될 거라는 소문에 대해 김선수 소속사인 AT 스포츠는 사실이 아니라고 말했다.

한 소속사 직원은 “신임 코치는 미국 남자이며 소문은 전혀 사실이 아니다”라고 말했다.