Star Skaters on South Korean Ice
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Since local favorite Kim Yu-na wrapped up her season in March by finishing third at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, South Korea's increasing number of figure skating aficionados have been thirsty for a new season,
Midway through the offseason, they have found an oasis to quench their thirst to see more of the sport at the Hyundai Card Super Match VII ― Superstars on Ice.
Top-tier skaters such as Japan's Mao Asada and Ando Miki, Russia's Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko and Jeffrey Buttle of Canada will turn a Kim-less South Korean ice rink into a thrilling exhibition at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Jamsil Student Stadium.
Kim's contemporary nemesis Asada, 17, topped this year's World Championships along with the Four Continents Championships in February in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, while Ando is last year's world champion.
The Russian duo of Yagudin and Plushenko are former Olympic gold medallists, as Yagudin won in Salt Lake City in 2002, while Plushenko took first in Turin in 2006.
Rising Buttle also claimed gold in Sweden.
Along with those noted skaters, Kim Na-young, who finished fourth at the Four Continents contest in February, and several prospects will also exhibit their skills.
This ice show is the company's second event in Korea. The first event took place two years ago, when Kim Yu-na, Yagudin and Plushenko performed in front of crowds, who were unfamiliar with the sport at that time.
Last year, a fire at Mokdong Ice Rink cancelled the show.