Queen Kim Has Another Record-Breaking Day
Korean Figure Skating Star Receives World-Record Score in Short Program at Skate America
By Matt Flemming
Staff Reporter
It seems lately, that almost every time Kim Yu-na steps on the ice in competition, she leaves the audience, the judges and, even, herself astounded.
After finishing her short program Sunday (KST) at Skate America in Lake Placid, N.Y., Kim stood in the James Bond pose that's become her trademark this season and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
It capped yet another flawless performance from Kim and yet another record-breaking day ― the South Korean star received a world record 76.28 from the judges, breaking the 76.18 mark she set at the world championships earlier this year.
``I'm trying to do a clean program every time," said Kim afterward. "It's not about the score. I don't want to think about the score.''
None of Kim's biggest challengers are competing at the Grand Prix event and not surprisingly, no one else came close to matching Kim's score.
American Rachael Flatt was second with 58.80, giving Kim a full 17.48-point lead entering the free skate. Julia Sebestyen of Hungary is third with a score of 58.56.
Kim had an adoring crowd in attendance at the 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena that waved banners, some dubbing her "Queen Kim." She looked surprised when the judges' scores were revealed and admitted later that she didn't expect a record-breaking score.
She has shined in her role as a Bond girl in her James Bond-inspired short program, and her coach said her new programs suit her well.
``She wants to go out and skate well, show everybody what you are,'' said coach Brian Orser. ``I think she's just excited about these new programs. They are such a good fit for her; she wears them well.''
Flatt, who fell in her program, expressed her admiration for her South Korean competitor.
``She's pretty incredible. For me, she's incredibly inspiring and someone I look up to. I'm just inspired when we get on the ice and I think: `Cool, Yu-na is out here.'''
Kim scored 76.08 at the Trophee Bompard, the first Grand Prix event of the season in Paris. She went on to set two new world records with a 133.95 in the free skate and an overall score of 210.03.
Kim is in good position to push her record even higher in the free skate, which takes place early Monday morning (KST).
With a win, she will assure herself a spot at the Grand Prix Final in December in Tokyo ― perhaps her biggest test ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February.
Kim just shrugged when asked if she could be beaten. But she has continued to prove that she is the best in the world by an increasingly widening margin.