http://blog.naver.com/janenah?Redirect=Log&logNo=100100801761
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/kim-yuna/
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=19493.html?cid=rss
She did it! Even with all the pressure from the South Koreans for the first gold medal in figure-skating at the Winter Olympics, Yuna Kim of South Korea showed such a fantastic performance at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She not only placed first in the tournament, but also shattered her previous world record with a total score of 228.56. Because the performance was broadcasted at 1:21 in Korean time, I watched the program at school with my friends, extremely nervous and worried that Yu-na would fall or make a mistake while doing her jumps. However, with her beautiful expressions and flawless jumps, she did a fabulous job at the Olympics. I don't exactly know how she felt, but after she was done with her performance, Yu-na cried, (probably because of the sense of relief that she made no mistakes and could show what she had practiced after the hundreds and thousands of falls) and I almost cried with her! Many of the people who watched her performance would have felt like me, surprised by the perfectness of her figure-skating, and happy for what she has become after the hardships and conflicts she had faced as a young girl, chasing her dream of winning gold medal at the Olympics. Also, I was worried about the rivalry between Yu-na and Mao Asada from Japan, but this time, Mao was no competitor of Yu-na because she made so many mistakes during her performance. I think this was because Mao performed right after Yu-na, and she would have been nervous by the loud cheers of the audience for her rival and the high score of Yu-na. Still, I think Mao proved her improvements by the Olympics, and placed second. (However, I personally thought that the judges gave too many points to her because they gave full points for some of Mao's jumps that weren't complete) Joanne Rochette from Canada placed third, and I felt sorry for her because she had to perform in the Olympics two days after the sudden death of her mother. Despite the tragedy she faced a few days before the program, her performance was great.
Overall, in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, South Korea showed its potency in winter sports by winning medals not only in short track like it did in the past years, but also in speed skating and figure skating. By this Olympics, many new athletes rose as the new stars of Korea, and Yuna-Kim was proven to be the Figure Queen of the world instead of just South Korea.
Do you want to watch Yu-na's short program? Click here!
Do you want to watch Yu-na's free skating? Click here!
