Queen Yu-na Makes History
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Kim Yu-na made history in world figure-skating after becoming the first person to score more than 200 points in winning her first World Championship title in Los Angeles, Sunday.
With a sizeable lead after the short program, Saturday, Kim never looked back as she gracefully took to the rink in free skating, Sunday.
She performed a remarkably charismatic dance, demonstrating flexibility and powerful energy before an awestruck crowd at the Staples Center.
The 18-year-old Kim earned 131.59 points in the free-style to finish with a 207.71 total. Fans waving Korean flags and holding placards with her name went wild as she finished her elegant performance.
``This is the last competition of the season and the last World Championships before the Olympic Games, so I really wanted this title,'' said Kim, who has undergone training in Toronto under two-time Canadian Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser.
Her number not only eclipsed rival Mao Asada's record of 199.52 for the highest combined score, but also made Kim, a two-time Grand Prix final champion, the first skater to score more than 200 points since the new scoring system was adopted in 2004.
``To perform this well at the World Championships was my dream,'' Kim told reporters. ``I did it here and it is just amazing.''
The South Korean, a native of Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, skated to a record 76.12 to break her own previous mark of 72.24 in her short program, Saturday.
Joannie Rochette of Canada won silver with 191.29 points to bring her home country its first medal since 1988 when Elizabeth Manley finished second, while Japan's Miki Ando, the 2007 world champion, settled for a bronze with 190.38.
Reigning world champion Asada dropped to fourth after getting 188.09.
Adding the world title to her colorful career, Kim stands out as the most promising contender 11 months ahead of the Vancouver Olympics.
``2010 is the most important year for me as I prepare for the Olympics,'' she added.
Gliding across the ice to Scheherazade, she skated a program that featured six triple jumps and tacked a triple flip-triple toe loop combination.
Kim, who achieved bronze medals in the past two World Championships, completed three jump combinations ― a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop.
With her elegant artistry and lack of nerves, Kim, who topped the Four Continents Championships in Vancouver in February, completed her routine, with the only mistake being a planned triple salchow, which she converted into a single jump.
But it was not enough to put a dampener on a near-flawless performance.
Asada, who needed something special to make up for a 10.06 deficit in the short program, attempted two triple axels. She landed the first but fell on the second.
``It is regrettable that I fell but I didn't let it affect the rest of my performance,'' Asada, 18, said. ``There isn't much time left until the Olympics.
``So, I plan to train every day. I will have a different program for the Olympics so I would like to show a different side of myself.''
Meanwhile, Kim's compatriot Kim Na-young scored a 131.50 total to come in 17th.
Korea has earned two slots at the upcoming Winter Games.
According to regulations, a country that achieves a combined finish of 13 or higher in the rankings at the World Championships can earn three spots at the Olympics.