Kim Yuna

Kim Yuna
Kim Yuna at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Personal information
Native name	김연아 金姸兒
Full name	Kim Yuna
Country represented	South Korea
Born	(1990-09-05) September 5, 1990 Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Residence	Seoul, South Korea
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Former coach	Shin Hea-sook Ryu Jong-hyun Peter Oppegard Brian Orser Kim Se-Yol Chi Hyun-jung
Former choreographer	David Wilson Sandra Bezic Tom Dickson Brian Orser Jeffrey Buttle Jadene Fullen Kim Se-Yol Kim Yuna Catarina Lindgren Chi Hyun-jung Garnet
Former skating club	East West Ice Palace TCS & CC
Began skating	1996
Retired	February 20, 2014
Season's bests	2 (2013–2014)[1] 1 (2012–2013)[2] 3 (2010–2011)[3] 1 (2009–2010)[4] 1 (2008–2009)[5]
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	228.56 (WR)[6] 2010 Winter Olympics
Short program	78.50[7] 2010 Winter Olympics
Free skate	150.06[8] 2010 Winter Olympics
Medal record Representing  South Korea Ladies' Singles Figure skating Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 0 World Championships 2 2 2 Four Continents Championships 1 0 0 Grand Prix Final 3 1 0 World Junior Championships 1 1 0 Junior Grand Prix Final 1 1 0 Total 9 6 2 Olympic Games 2010 Vancouver Ladies' Singles 2014 Sochi Ladies' Singles World Championships 2009 Los Angeles Ladies' singles 2013 London Ladies' singles 2010 Turin Ladies' singles 2011 Moscow Ladies' singles 2007 Tokyo Ladies' singles 2008 Gothenburg Ladies' singles Four Continents Championships 2009 Vancouver Ladies' singles Grand Prix Final 2006–07 St. Petersburg Ladies' singles 2007–08 Turin Ladies' singles 2009–10 Tokyo Ladies' singles 2008–09 Goyang Ladies' singles World Junior Championships 2006 Ljubljana Ladies' singles 2005 Kitchener Ladies' singles Junior Grand Prix Final 2005–2006 Ostrava Ladies' singles 2004–2005 Helsinki Ladies' singles

Kim Yuna
Hangul	김연아
Hanja	金姸兒
Revised Romanization	Gim Yeona[9]
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Yŏna

Kim Yuna (Hangul: 김연아, Hanja: 金姸兒, IPA: [gimjʌna]; born 5 September 1990, KTM) is a former South Korean figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic champion and 2014 silver medalist in ladies' singles; the 2009, 2013 World champion; the 2009 Four Continents champion; a three-time (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2009–2010) Grand Prix Final champion; the 2006 World Junior champion; the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final champion; and a six-time (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014) South Korean national champion.

Kim is the first South Korean figure skater to win a medal at an ISU Junior or Senior Grand Prix event, ISU Championship, and the Olympic Games. She is the first female skater to win the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the Four Continents Championships and the Grand Prix Final. She is one of the most highly recognized athletes and media figures in South Korea.^[10] As a result of her numerous accomplishments, she is frequently referred to as "Queen Yuna" by various media across the world. ^[11]

She is the current record holder for ladies in the combined total^[12] under the ISU Judging System. She has broken world record scores 11 times^[12][13][14] under the ISU Judging System since 2007, eight of which being records she herself set. She is also the first female skater to surpass the 140-point and 150-point free skating mark^[14] and the 200-point total mark^[12] under the ISU Judging System. Throughout her entire career, Kim had never finished a competition off the podium. She is considered to be among the best ladies figure skaters of all time, and many even consider her the best ever.^[15][16][17]

Personal life

Kim was born in 1990 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, and moved to Gunpo when she was six years old. She trained initially in South Korea before moving to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in May 2007 where she spent four years.^[18] She currently trains in Seoul, South Korea.

The correct transliteration of her name, 김연아, would be "Kim Yeona".^[19] However, when Kim applied for her passport, she intended to write her name as "Yun-a", but the official miswrote her name as "Yu-na", which is written as "유나" rather than "연아".^[20] From the 2010–2011 season, her name was registered as "Yuna Kim" at her ISU profile.^[21]

Yuna became a Roman Catholic in 2008 after she was healed from severe skating injuries incurred in 2006-2007 from a devout Catholic doctor and wearing a Miraculous Medal on her skating outfit she received from a nun during the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships.^[22] Her Confirmation name is Stella from "Stella Maris" in Latin, meaning Our Lady, Star of the Sea, an ancient title of The Blessed Virgin Mary. She makes the Sign of the Cross and wears a rosary ring during competitions.

Kim donated more than 3.1 billion won ($2.67 million) as of April 2015^[23][24][25] and is continuing her effort in many ways.

Career

Early career

Kim began skating at the age of 6.^[26] Her coach at the time, Ryu Jong-hyun, strongly suggested to Kim's mother that Kim should continue to skate, predicting that she would become a world-class figure skater in the future.^[27] In a 2011 interview, she gave credit to her coaches for noticing her aptness for skating, "My coaches have told me my muscles and body structure are perfect for skating. I was born with a good instrument, maybe more so than the talent. I was lucky my coaches noticed early on and helped me develop that. A lot of people don't know they are born that way."^[28]

During her junior years, South Korea has a very unfamiliar history and experience with figure skating. Describing training conditions for competitive figure skaters, Kim said in an October 2010 interview with CNN, "During my early skating years, there were not many ice rinks in Korea and even the few rinks that existed, most of them were public. Even now, when athletes want to practice, they have to use the rink very early [in the] morning or late at night. Also, as there aren't enough ice rinks to facilitate all the figure skating teams, skaters often have to train in different rinks from day to day. Furthermore, as most rinks are too cold, there is always high possibility of injury." ^[29] As proper skate shops were also lacking, Kim frequently had ill-fitting skates as she was steadily growing through puberty and sub-par skates with off-centre blades, making it hard for her to balance and resulting in many injuries. ^[30][31]

In 2002, Kim competed internationally for the first time at the Triglav Trophy in Slovenia, where she won the gold medal in the novice competition.^[32] A year later, at age 12, she won the senior title at the South Korean Championships, becoming the youngest skater ever to win that title. She won her second international competition at the Golden Bear of Zagreb, a novice competition.^[33] She continued her reign as the South Korean champion in 2004.

Junior career

2004–2005 season

In the 2004–2005 season, Kim competed as a junior at the ISU Junior Grand Prix. She won a silver medal at the event in China and a gold medal at the event in Hungary. She won a silver medal at the 2004–2005 Junior Grand Prix Final with an overall score of 137.75 points.

She retained her National Championship title for the third year in a row on her way to the 2005 World Junior Championships. At that competition, she won a silver medal earning 158.93 points and landed her first triple-triple combination jump in the free skating.

2005–2006 season

For the 2005–2006 season, Kim was not old enough to compete at the 2006 Olympics, instead, she competed in the 2005–2006 Junior Grand Prix and won both of her competitions in Bulgaria and Slovakia. At the 2005–2006 Junior Grand Prix Final, she won the competition 28.34 points ahead of silver medalist Aki Sawada. During her free skate, she landed seven triple jumps, including a triple flip – triple toe loop combination and a double axel – triple toe loop combination.

Kim won her fourth senior national title. At the 2006 World Junior Championships, she won the gold medal scoring 177.54 points overall, with a 24.19-point margin of victory over silver medalist Mao Asada.

Senior career

2006–2007 season

In order to prepare for her senior debut in the 2006–2007 season, Kim trained extensively at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club of Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the summer of 2006.^[18]

Kim made her senior international debut at 2006 Skate Canada where she won a bronze medal after being placed first at the short program and fourth in the free skate program with a total overall score of 168.48 points.

At the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard, Kim received a score of 65.22 in the short program and 119.32 in the free skate, placing first both of them and won the event with 184.54 points, 10.10 points ahead of silver medalist Miki Ando. Those performances qualified Kim for the Grand Prix Final for the first time.

At the 2006 Grand Prix Final in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kim placed third in the short program with 65.06 points and first in the free skating with 119.14. She won the Grand Prix Final earning 184.20 points, by a margin of 11.68 ahead over silver medalist Mao Asada.

Kim was forced to withdraw due to an injury at the 2007 South Korean Championships and was unable to defend her national title. In January 2007, Kim was diagnosed as being in the early stage of lumbar disc herniation (L₄~L₅).^[34]

Kim was selected to compete at the 2007 World Championships based on her performance during the season. Because of the placement of Choi Ji Eun the year before, South Korea had only one spot in the World Championships. During the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Kim won the short program with 71.95 points, setting the highest short program score ever under the ISU Judging System and consequently, a world record.^[35] She placed fourth in the long program earning 114.19 points, and finished third overall with 186.14 points, behind Japanese skaters Miki Ando and Mao Asada. Kim's placement qualified South Korea two ladies entries for the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships.^[36]

In March 2007, Brian Orser became her new full-time coach. Satisfied with the training environment in Toronto, Kim made Toronto her training home.^[10][37]

2007–2008 season

Kim was assigned to the 2007 Cup of China and the 2007 Cup of Russia Grand Prix for the 2007–2008 ISU Grand Prix season.

Kim started off the 2007–2008 season winning the 2007 Cup of China with a total score of 180.68 points, which was 24.34 ahead of silver medalist Caroline Zhang. She landed a triple flip-single toe loop combination, a triple Lutz, a double Axel and placed 3rd in the short program. But the next day, she hit a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop, triple lutz-double toe loop combination, double axel-triple toe loop combination, a single lutz, a triple salchow, a double axel and three level-four spins to score 122.36 points in the free skating.

At the 2007 Cup of Russia, Kim won both the short program scoring 63.50 points and the free skate with 133.70 points, to finish first overall with 197.20 points, 24.43 ahead of silver medalist Yukari Nakano, which set a world record for the free skate score under the ISU Judging System. She executed triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop, a triple lutz-double toe loop combination, a double axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz, triple salchow and double axel.^[38]

Kim qualified for the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy. She won the short program with 64.62 points and was placed second in the free skate earning 132.21. With a total score of 196.83 points, Kim won her second Grand Prix Final.

Kim did not compete at the 2008 Korean National Championships and the 2008 Four Continents Championships due to a hip injury.

With persistent hip injury and back pain, she competed at the 2008 World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.^[18] She was placed fifth in the short program with 59.85 points, but rebounded in the free skate to win the program with 123.38. She scored 183.23 points overall, winning her second consecutive bronze medal at the World Championships. Despite being injured and not near her best, some believed she was hard done by in the long program scoring, and perhaps should have scored highly enough to win the overall title ahead of Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner. ^[39] The scoring of silver medalist Carolina Kostner was especially controversial at this event, as despite a step out of her triple lutz in the short she was awarded first place over Mao's clean performance, and then was able to stay ahead of skaters such as Yu Na Kim, Yukari Nakano, and Joannie Rochette overall despite mistakes on 5 of 7 jumping passes in her long program.

2008–2009 season

Kim was assigned to the 2008 Skate America and the 2008 Cup of China Grand Prix for the 2008–2009 ISU Grand Prix season.

At the 2008 Skate America, Kim was placed first in the short program with a score of 69.50, standing out by the margin of 11.70 points despite a trouble in her double axel.^[40] She went on to capture the ladies title by winning the free skate as well with a score of 123.95. She won the event earning 193.45 points overall, a score that was more than 20 points ahead of silver medalist Yukari Nakano of Japan.

Her success continued at the 2008 Cup of China, where she received a score of 63.64 in the short program and 128.11 in the free skate, placing first in both of them. The combined total of 191.75 was nearly 21 points ahead of silver medalist Miki Ando of Japan. Her performance qualified her for a spot in the Grand Prix Final.

During the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final, which was held in Goyang, South Korea, she was placed first in the short program with 65.94 points and second in the free skate where she earned 120.41 points. She won a silver medal with a total score of 186.35 points, 2.20 behind Mao Asada of Japan.

Kim competed in the 2009 Four Continents in Vancouver, Canada. She set a new world record of 72.24 points in the short program with a clean performance.^[41] She scored 116.83 in the free skating program, keeping the lead with 189.07 points overall and winning the gold medal.

During the 2009 World Championships, held in Los Angeles, United States, she set another new world record of 76.12 points in the short program, surpassing her previous record by almost four points.^[42] She performed a triple flip–triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz and a double axel as well as earning a level four on all her spins and her spiral sequence. She also won the free skating program, scoring 131.59 points and showing great presentation skills with her artistry and her musicality. She executed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a double axel, a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz and a double axel. As a result, she set a new world record total of 207.71 as well as winning her first World Championship title and she became the first female skater to surpass 200 points^[43] under the ISU Judging System. Her margin of victory was 16.42 points ahead of silver medalist Joannie Rochette. Also, she was the only competitor who earned eights in program components marks in both the short program and the free skate at the competition.^[44][45] She was the only female skater whose figure skating combination was recognized by the judges in both the short and free programs during the 2008–2009 season.^[46][47]

2009–2010 season

Kim was assigned to the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and the 2009 Skate America in the 2009–2010 ISU Grand Prix season.

At the trophée Eric Bompard, she placed first in the short program with the score of 76.08 points, 16.44 points ahead of Yukari Nakano. She successfully executed a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, followed by a triple flip and a double axel. Her spiral sequence and all three spins were graded a level four. Opening with a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination and showing great artistic skills, she won the free skate scoring 133.95 points. She also executed a double axel–double toe loop–double loop, a double axel–triple toe loop, a triple salchow, a triple lutz and a double axel. She won the event with 210.03 points, 36.04 ahead of silver medalist Mao Asada. Kim set world records for the free skate and the overall score under the ISU Judging System at the competition.^[37][48]

At the 2009 Skate America, Kim placed first again after the short program with the score of 76.28, which was 17.48 points ahead of her closest competitor Rachael Flatt. She received +2.20 grade of execution for her triple lutz–triple toe loop combination,^[49] the highest ever given for jumps by the ISU in ladies' figure skating. She placed second in the free skate with the score of 111.70 points, due to mistakes in her jumps. Although it was one of her lowest scores, she still won the event with 187.98 points, beating silver medalist Rachael Flatt with a lead of 13.07. At the competition, she set a new world record again for the short program under the ISU Judging System.^[50]

Her victories in both Grand Prix events qualified her for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2009. At the event, she placed second in the short program with 65.64 points, 0.56 behind Miki Ando. The next day, she won the free skate with 123.22 points. As a result, Kim won her 3rd Grand Prix Final title with a total of 188.86 points.

In February 2010, Kim competed in the ladies event at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, where she captured Olympic gold.

In March 2010, Kim competed at the 2010 World Championships in Turin, Italy. Kim said she had struggled with finding the motivation to compete at the World Championships after winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games.^[51] Kim placed seventh in the short program with 60.30 points. She opened with a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, but had problems with her layback spin and spiral sequence after unseen problems with her boots. She rebounded in the free skate to win the program with 130.49 points completing a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, a triple flip, a double axel–double toe loop–double loop combination, a double axel–triple toe loop combination and a triple lutz, but having trouble with her triple salchow and double axel. She won the silver medal totaling 190.79 points.

2010 Winter Olympics

In February 2010, Kim competed in the ladies event at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She entered the Games as a strong favorite to win the gold.^[52]

In the short program on February 23, she executed a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double axel. Her spirals and her spins were graded a level four. Her technical score of 44.70 points was the highest of the event. She also achieved a score of 33.80 in the program components. As a result, Kim scored 78.50 points, taking the lead by 4.72 over Mao Asada of Japan and achieving her best score in the short program. She set a new world record.^[53]

On February 25, she won the free skate with a new record of 150.06 points. Kim landed a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, a triple flip, a double axel–double toe loop–double loop combination, a double axel–triple toe loop combination, a triple salchow, a triple lutz and a double axel as well as receiving level fours for her spins and her spiral sequence. Both her technical score of 78.30 and her presentation of 71.76 were the highest of the night. She was the only competitor to earn nines in her program components scores.^[54] She set a new world record for the free skate under the ISU Judging System.^[55] Overall, Kim totaled 228.56 points, shattering her personal best and own old world record by a margin of 18 points and will have become the longest standing record performance in the current ISU Judging System.^[55] She won the gold medal, becoming the first South Korean skater to medal in any discipline of figure skating at the Olympic Games. She also set a new Olympic record. Kim's gold medal was South Korea's first medal at the Winter Olympics in a sport other than speed skating or short track.^[56]

Kim's short program, long program and combined total scores in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were the highest scores ever since the ISU Judging System was created, and were automatically registered in the Guinness World Records.^[57] Her immaculate routines in the Olympics were considered to be one of the greatest performances in figure skating history. After the 2010 Winter Olympics, personalities such as Jacques Rogge^[58] and Hillary Clinton^[59] praised Kim's Olympic performance.

2010–2011 and 2011–2012 seasons

In August 2010, Kim and her coach of four years, Brian Orser, parted ways. Their split was first made known to the public by Orser's press release.^[60] Orser's dismissal was reported as "sudden and unexpected" and no explanation was given for the split.^[60] Orser made the separation public, saying he did not want it to become a distraction for his other skaters, including Americans Adam Rippon and Christina Gao.^[61] Rippon said in an interview that they had known about the situation longer than the general public, and had had time to deal with it, noting that "it hasn't affected Brian's coaching, and it certainly hasn't affected my training."^[62] Kim posted an online message accusing Orser of lying.^[63] She stated on her official website that they had been maintaining an awkward and ambiguous relationship for months and that she was perplexed by Orser's announcement. She also said that the dismissal had been her decision and that the reason behind it did not need to be made public.^[64][65] After the split, Orser gave several interviews regarding the end of their collaboration.^[66][67] On August 25, 2010, Orser caused controversy by revealing Kim's 2010–2011 competitive program information to the press without Kim and her choreographer's consent.^[68][69][70] Soon after, Kim left the rink where she had trained with Orser to train at the East West Ice Palace in Los Angeles owned by Michelle Kwan and Kwan's family.^[71] On October 5, 2010, Peter Oppegard was announced as Kim's coach.^[72]

Kim was assigned to the 2010 Cup of China and to the 2010 Cup of Russia for the 2010–2011 ISU Grand Prix season. However, she chose not to compete in the Grand Prix series to focus on the 2011 World Championships.^[73] She won the silver medal at the event after being placed first in the short program and second in the free skating with a total score of 194.50 points, 1.29 points behind Miki Ando.

She said she might miss the next Grand Prix series due to her work promoting South Korea's successful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.^[74] In May 2011, Kim told Around the Rings that bringing the Winter Olympics to PyeongChang would be an inspiration to young athletes in Korea.^[75] She officially stated to sit out the entire 2011-2012 season on October 18, 2011.^[76]

2012–2013 season

On July 2, 2012, Kim announced her intention to skate competitively in the 2012–13 season, with the ultimate goal of skating in the 2014 Winter Olympics.^[77] However, Kim was not invited to skate on the 2012–13 Grand Prix circuit so she decided to participate in minor events to score enough technical points to qualify for the 2013 World Championships.^[78]

Kim left Oppegard and started training with her childhood coaches Shin Hea-sook and Ryu Jong-hyun.^[79][80]

Her first competition of the season was the 2012 NRW Trophy which was held in Dortmund, Germany, from December 5–9, 2012.^[80] She competed at the event to earn the minimum score required for Championship events.^[81] Kim placed first in the short program with a score of 72.27 points and also won the free skate with 129.34 to claim the gold medal. With the requirements met, Kim's agency said she would focus on Korean nationals and the World Championships.^[82]

In January 2013 due to her lack of competition in the previous season, Kim had to compete in the 2013 South Korean Championships to pick herself a spot for the 2013 World Championships. She placed first in the short program with a score of 64.97 points despite having some problems in that segment of the competition. She also won the free skate totaling 145.80 after performing a clean program where she executed a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, a triple flip, a triple salchow, a triple lutz, a double axel–double toe loop–double loop combination, a triple salchow–double toe loop combination and a double axel. Her total score of 210.77 points was 48.89 ahead of silver medalist Park So-youn. As a result, Kim won her fifth national title and thus qualified to compete in the World Championships.

At the 2013 World Championships, Kim placed first in the short program with a score of 69.97 points after completing a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double axel, taking the lead over Carolina Kostner from Italy by 3.11 points. She also won the free skate after executing a clean long program and earning 148.34 points. Her technical score of 74.73 and her presentation of 73.61 were both the highest of the night, and she was also the only skater of the competition to get tens in her program components.^[83] Totaling 218.31 points overall Kim claimed her second world title, surpassing the rest of the competitors by 20.42 points, which was the largest difference between gold and silver in the nine years the ISU Judging System had been used in the World Championships.^[84] Her world title secured three spots for South Korea in the ladies event for the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2014 World Championships.

2013–2014 season

In the 2013–2014 ISU Grand Prix season, Kim was assigned to compete in the 2013 Skate Canada International and in the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard. However, on September 26 it was announced that Kim would not compete in the Grand Prix series due to a metatarsal injury to her right foot (bruised bones) from excessive training, with recovery expected to take up to six weeks.^[85]

Kim competed in 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia from December 5–8, 2013. She placed first in the short program with a score of 73.37 points and also won the free program with 131.12 points, despite falling on a triple lutz. She won the gold medal with a total score of 204.49 points, beating Miki Ando of Japan by 27.67 points.^[86][87][88]

In early January, Kim competed in the 2014 South Korean Championships. She led after a perfect short program with 80.60 points and also won the free program with 147.26 points. As a result, Kim won her sixth national title with a total score of 227.86 points.

In February 2014, Kim competed in the ladies event at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. She performed two flawless programs during the event; both programs were intended as farewell performances of her competitive career. She led the short program and came in second in the free program. She finished with an Olympic silver medal. Controversy on the questionable judging and scoring of skaters' performances ensued after the event which garnered widespread debate among the figure skating community, mostly pointing out that Kim should have won another Olympic gold. The general consensus of the vast majority of experts and skating fans being that at the least both Yu Na Kim and Carolina Kostner of Italy should have finished higher up on the podium than the heavily controversial winner- home country winner Adelina Sotnikova. The controversy about the overall judging of the ladies event at the Games, and possible nationalist and political corruption surrounding Adelina's scores and win have continued to this day, particularly given Russia's long history of suspect judging verdicts in the sport as a whole. As anticipated, Kim announced that the Olympics would mark the end of her competitive skating career.^[89]

Skating technique

Kim Yuna is famous for her strong technical skills, speed, consistency and mature artistry on the ice. Her programs are often commended for their ice coverage, musicality and delicate interpretation.^{[90][91][92][93]} "She’s beautiful. She has the combination of the technical elements and the grace and musicality, and that’s what you want in skating.", remarked by famous figure skater Peggy Fleming. ^[94]

Kim landed her first triple jump at the age of 10, and by 12, used 5 triple jumps in her programs.^[95] She landed her first triple-triple combination jump, a triple toe-triple toe combination, at age of 14 at the 2005 World Junior Championships.^[96] She is also known to practice triple axels in training.^[97]

She is well known for her signature triple-triple jump combinations including triple lutz–triple toe loop,^[98] and triple flip–triple toe loop,.^[99] She can also execute a triple lutz–double toe loop–double loop jump combination.^[100] Another signature jump in her repertoire is a layback Ina Bauer or spread eagle that leads to either a double axel, a double axel–triple toe loop jump combination or a double axel–double toe loop–double loop jump combination - a difficult transition given the required shift in weight and edges. Kim Yuna personally stated that her favorite jumps are the lutz, flip and axel. Commentators and analysts consistently refer to her jumps as textbook standard. Her jump techniques are well praised for their high speed entry, height, position and quality of running edges. ^[101] She has received +2.20 grade of execution for the quality of her jumps.^[49]

One of Kim's most famous moves is the bent-leg layover camel spin. She has performed the spin position since 2004. Although she did not invent the move, it is now frequently called the "Yuna spin" or "Yuna camel". She frequently does a combination spin that leads to a skate-held I-spin towards the end of her programs.^{[102][103][104][105][106]}

Records and achievements

• Currently holds the world record for the ladies' combined total score. Kim set the record three times and has held it since 28 March 2009.^[12]
• Former world record holder for the ladies' short program score. Kim set the record five times and held the record for the longest time from 23 March 2007 to 27 March 2014^[13]
• Former world record holder for the ladies' free skate score. Kim set the record three times and held the record for the longest time from 24 November 2007 to 2 April 2016^[14]
• First and only figure skater to have never finished off the podium in her entire career under the current ISU judging system.^[15][16][17]
• First figure skater to achieve a grand slam under the current ISU judging system. She is the first and only female skater to win gold in all major ISU championship titles including the Junior Grand Prix Series and Final, World Junior Championships, Grand Prix Series and Final, Four Continents Championships, World Championships, and Winter Olympic Games.^{[107][108][109]}
• First female skater to break the 200-point, 210-point, and 220-point mark in the ladies' combined total in international competition (2009 World Championships, 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, 2010 Winter Olympics).^[12]
• First female skater to break the 140-point and 150-point mark in the ladies' free skate total in international competition (2010 Winter Olympics).^[14]
• First female skater to break the 75-point mark in the ladies' short program in international competition (2009 World Championships).^[13]

Public life and endorsements

Among Kim's official sponsors are Kookmin Bank, Nike, Korean Air, Samsung and Hyundai Motor Company. Her other endorsements include Anycall (mobile phone), Hauzen (air conditioner), Lac Vert (cosmetics), Maeil Dairies Co. Ltd (dairy products), Maxim (coffee), Saffron (fabric softener), Tous Les Jours (bakery), J. Estina (jewelry) and Qua (apparel).^[110] Her skating music and other favorites were compiled in the album Yuna Kim ~ Fairy on ICE ~ Skating Music (Universal Music Korea, 2008).^[111]

Kim was the headliner of the ice show 2008, 2009 and 2010 Festa on Ice produced by her former agency, IB Sports. IB Sports produced another ice show, Ice All Stars 2009, which took place in Seoul on August 14–16, 2009. Michelle Kwan, who is Kim's idol and the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, joined the ice show.^[112]

Kim also had been awarded the Talent Medal of Korea, as Winner^[113] in 2008.

In April 2010, Kim left IB Sports and set up her own agency called All That Sports Corp. (AT Sports) with the support of her mother.^[114] They organized an ice show, All That Skate.^[115]

Kim has appeared in many commercials in South Korea. Her commercial for a new touchscreen haptic phone from Samsung Electronics, dubbed as Yuna's Haptic (SPH-W7700), sold over one million devices in a record seven months.^{[116][117][118]} The "Yuna's Haptic" cell phone, released in May 2009 sold over 550 thousand devices in the first 80 days of sales. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Forbes magazine named Kim, along with American snowboarder Shaun White, as the top-earning athletes participating in the Olympics with $7.5 million each to their name.^[119] In August 2010, Forbes magazine listed her as one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, with annual earnings of $9.7 million.^[120][121]

Kim also worked in several projects as a singer. She recorded a duet with K-pop singer Lee Seung-gi to collaborate on "Smile Boy", the 2010 Football World Cup commercial song.^{[122][123][124]} She also sang with Korean band Big Bang on the single "Shouts of Reds" created for the Korean World Cup soccer team. Kim has also performed songs by Korean pop singers Taeyeon from Girls' Generation, IU, Narsha and BoA on the television show Kim Jung Eun's Chocolate.^[125] Here is a list of Kim Yuna's projects as a singer:^[126][127]

• The Star Show - single (SBSi, 2008)
• Yuna Kim: Fairy on the Ice - album (Universal Music Group, 2008)
• Smile Boy, with Lee Seung-gi - single (Hook Entertainment, 2010)
• Super Girl, with Sistar and Electroboyz - single (Cheil Worldwide/LOEN Entertainment, 2010)
• Winter Dream, with Lena Park - single (Cheil Worldwide/Universal Music Group, 2011)
• Ice Flower, with IU - single (LOEN Entertainment, 2011)
• Homage to Korea - single (Universal Music Group, 2011)
• The Queen on Ice - album (Universal Music Group, 2011)
• The Queen on Ice: Yuna Kim 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Program - single (Universal Music Group, 2014)

Kim was named as an ambassador for the 2010–2012 Visit Korea Year.^[128] Kim has been rated as one of the world's most influential people in 2010 by TIME. In July 2010, Kim was named international UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.^[129] She was also named an ambassador for the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit alongside actress Han Hyo-joo and soccer player representative Park Ji-sung.^[130]

In August 2010, in honor of Kim's visit, the city of Los Angeles designated August 7 as "Yu-Na Kim Day" and granted her honorary citizenship. She also received the "Proud Korean Award" from the Korean American Leadership Foundation in the city on the same day as Sammy Lee, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in men's diving in 1948 and 1952.^{[131][132][133]}

In September 2010, Kim was invited to the United Nation's New York headquarters to mark the annual International Day of Peace celebration in capacity of UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador.^[134] She joined the ceremony alongside high level UN officials including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Goodwill Ambassadors representing other branches of the United Nations. There, she advocated peace messages from UNICEF.^[135]

In October 2010, Kim and her management All That Sports debuted 2010 All That Skate LA, a US version of their highly successful Korean ice show brand, All That Skate, at Staples Center, Los Angeles. The show, which was directed by renowned Canadian choreographer David Wilson and boasted an impressive all-star cast, including the five-time world champion Michelle Kwan, the reigning Olympic champions from three skating disciplines including Kim, and many world champions, received rave reviews from both figure skating fans and critics for bringing a new style of skating show to the US and also for its overall high quality production.^{[136][137][138]}

Kim won the Sportswoman of the Year Award from Women's Sports Foundation on October 12, 2010.^[139]

On January 28, 2010, Kim published her book, Kim Yu-na's Seven-Minute Drama, about her experience with figure skating since the age of seven to the preparation of 2010 Winter Olympic in Vancouver. The Chosun Ilbo stated that the book "deals with her attempts to overcome her obstacles and to become the world's top figure skater."^{[140][141][142]} In addition to this book, she also wrote a book called Like Kim Yuna, published on March 30, 2010. This book targets younger readers.^[143]

Kim played a key role in South Korea's effort to win the rights to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Kim was part of the Olympic Bidding Committee for PyeongChang, the Korean hosting city. The Korean committee members including Kim traveled to Durban, South Africa, where International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s decision for the hosting city was finalized on July 6, 2011. There, she fulfilled her role as Korean delegation by promoting PyeongChang as an athlete ambassador and an Olympic champion.^[144][145] Kim was one of the eight Korean delegates who appeared before the July 6 IOC conference and delivered a presentation for Pyeongchang, which won the hosting rights over other rival cities, Munich of Germany and Annecy of France.^[146][147] In October 2011, Kim was appointed a member of the Executive Committee of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Organising Committee.

In May 2011, Kim began to host a program called Kim Yu-na's Kiss and Cry in SBS's Good Sunday. The program portrayed the challenging process of ten popular entertainers as they learned how to figure skate from professional skaters. The ten stars included comedian Kim Byung-man, singer U-Know of TVXQ, Krystal of f(x), IU, Son Dam-bi, actors Park Joon-geum, Seo Ji-seok, Lee Ah-hyun, Jin Ji-hee and speed skater Lee Kyou-hyuk.^[148] The winner of the show was Krystal and her partner Lee Dong-hoon. The runner up was comedian Kim Byung-man and his partner Lee Soo-kyung. As a reward, Krystal and Lee Dong-hoon got to showcase their skating with Kim Yuna in the All That Skate exhibition that was held in August 2011.

In August 18, 2011, Kim was named as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.^[149] In October, Kim was named as an ambassador for 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck.^[150]

In June 17, 2012, Kim took part in Artistry on Ice in China and Li Sheng, president of SECA, the host of Sunday's show, said it took two years to lure Kim. And added "It's a breakthrough in Artistry on Ice, and even in China's figure skating history, although she only took part in the Shanghai stop."^[151]

Kim has stated that she hopes to become a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the 2014 Sochi Games.^[152] Kim Yu-na was named an honorary ambassador for the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in South Korea.^[153] In August 27, 2015, Kim was named as an ambassador for 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer.^[154]

She was recently awarded with a Cheongryong (Blue Dragon) Medal at the 54th Korea Sports Awards last October 2016. The medal was the highest decoration in South Korea's Order of Sport Merit. ^[155] She was also inducted to South Korea's Sports Hall of Fame last November 23, 2016. She won the honor as a sports hero for the year and is the youngest and only winter sports athlete among the inductees. ^[156]

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2013–2014 [157]	Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music) by Stephen Sondheim choreo. by David Wilson	Adiós Nonino by Astor Piazzolla choreo. by David Wilson	Nessun Dorma from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini choreo. by David Wilson Imagine by John Lennon performed by Avril Lavigne choreo. by David Wilson
2012–2013 [158]	The Kiss of the Vampire by James Bernard choreo. by David Wilson	Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg choreo. by David Wilson	El Tango de Roxanne (from Moulin Rouge!) by Sting, Mariano Mores Someone Like You by Adele choreo. by David Wilson All of Me by Michael Bublé choreo. by David Wilson
2011–2012	Did not compete this season		Fever by Beyoncé choreo. by David Wilson
2010–2011 [159]	Giselle by Adolphe Adam choreo. by David Wilson	Homage to Korea Korean folk music including Arirang choreo. by David Wilson	Bulletproof by La Roux choreo. by David Wilson
2009–2010 [37][160]	James Bond Medley by John Barry, David Arnold, Monty Norman choreo. by David Wilson	Concerto in F by George Gershwin choreo. by David Wilson	Méditation (from Thaïs) by Jules Massenet choreo. by David Wilson Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna choreo. by Sandra Bezic
2008–2009 [161]	Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns choreo. by David Wilson	Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov choreo. by David Wilson	Gold (from Camille Claudel) by Linda Eder choreo. by David Wilson
2007–2008 [162]	Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II choreo. by David Wilson	Miss Saigon by Claude-Michel Schönberg choreo. by David Wilson	Only Hope (from A Walk to Remember) by Mandy Moore choreo. by David Wilson Once Upon a Dream (from Jekyll and Hyde) by Linda Eder choreo. by David Wilson Just a Girl by No Doubt choreo. by David Wilson
2006–2007 [163]	El Tango de Roxanne (from Moulin Rouge!) by Sting, Mariano Mores choreo. by Tom Dickson	The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams choreo. by David Wilson	Reflection (from Mulan) by Christina Aguilera choreo. by Brian Orser
2005–2006 [164]	El Tango de Roxanne (from Moulin Rouge!) by Sting, Mariano Mores choreo. by Tom Dickson	Papa, Can You Hear Me? (from Yentl) by Michel Legrand choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle, Jadene Fullen	One Day I'll Fly Away (from Moulin Rouge!) by Nicole Kidman choreo. by Kim Se-yol, Kim Yuna
2004–2005 [165]	Snowstorm by Georgy Sviridov choreo. by Catarina Lindgren	Papa, Can You Hear Me? (from Yentl) by Michel Legrand choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle, Jadene Fullen	Ben by Michael Jackson choreo. by Chi Hyun-jung, Kim Yuna
2003–2004	Snowstorm by Georgy Sviridov choreo. by Catarina Lindgren	Carmen by Pablo de Sarasate choreo. by Catarina Lindgren
2002–2003	Can-can by Jacques Offenbach choreo. by Catarina Lindgren	Carmen by Pablo de Sarasate choreo. by Catarina Lindgren
2001–2002	Can-can by Jacques Offenbach choreo. by Catarina Lindgren	The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns choreo. by Garnet

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Results[166]
International
Event	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	2012–13	2013–14
Olympics									1st			2nd
Worlds						3rd	3rd	1st	2nd	2nd	1st
Four Continents								1st
Grand Prix Final						1st	1st	2nd	1st
GP Bompard						1st			1st
GP Cup of China							1st	1st
GP Cup of Russia							1st
GP Skate America								1st	1st
GP Skate Canada						3rd
Golden Spin												1st
NRW Trophy											1st
International: Junior, Novice
Junior Worlds				2nd	1st
JGP Final				2nd	1st
JGP Bulgaria					1st
JGP China				2nd
JGP Hungary				1st
JGP Slovakia					1st
Golden Bear			1st N.
Triglav Trophy	1st N.
National
South Korean		1st	1st[167]	1st	1st						1st	1st
South Korean Junior	1st
Levels: N. = Novice

Detailed results

(Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at World, Four Continents, and World Junior Championships.)

Senior results

2013–2014 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
February 6–22, 2014	2014 Winter Olympics (Sochi)	1 74.92	2 144.19	2 219.11
January 1–5, 2014	68th South Korean National Championships	1 80.60	1 147.26	1 227.86
December 5–8, 2013	2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb	1 73.37	1 131.12	1 204.49
2012–2013 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
March 10–17, 2013	2013 ISU World Championships	1 69.97	1 148.34	1 218.31
January 2–6, 2013	67th South Korean National Championships	1 64.97	1 145.80	1 210.77
December 5–9, 2012	2012 NRW Trophy	1 72.27	1 129.34	1 201.61
2010–2011 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
April 24 – May 1, 2011	2011 ISU World Championships	1 65.91	2 128.59	2 194.50
2009–2010 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
March 22–28, 2010	2010 ISU World Championships	7 60.30	1 130.49	2 190.79
February 14–27, 2010	2010 Winter Olympics (Vancouver)	1 78.50	1 150.06	1 228.56
December 3–6, 2009	2009–2010 ISU Grand Prix Final	2 65.64	1 123.22	1 188.86
November 12–15, 2009	2009 ISU Grand Prix Skate America	1 76.28	2 111.70	1 187.98
October 15–18, 2009	2009 ISU Grand Prix Trophée Eric Bompard	1 76.08	1 133.95	1 210.03
2008–2009 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
March 23–29, 2009	2009 ISU World Championships	1 76.12	1 131.59	1 207.71
February 2–8, 2009	2009 ISU Four Continents Championships	1 72.24	3 116.83	1 189.07
December 10–14, 2008	2008–2009 ISU Grand Prix Final	1 65.94	2 120.41	2 186.35
November 6–9, 2008	2008 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China	1 63.64	1 128.11	1 191.75
October 23–26, 2008	2008 ISU Grand Prix Skate America	1 69.50	1 123.95	1 193.45
2007–2008 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
March 17–23, 2008	2008 ISU World Championships	5 59.85	1 123.38	3 183.23
December 13–16, 2007	2007–2008 ISU Grand Prix Final	1 64.62	2 132.21	1 196.83
November 22–25, 2007	2007 ISU Grand Prix Cup of Russia	1 63.50	1 133.70	1 197.20
November 8–11, 2007	2007 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China	3 58.32	1 122.36	1 180.68
2006–2007 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
March 19–25, 2007	2007 ISU World Championships	1 71.95	4 114.19	3 186.14
December 14–17, 2006	2006–2007 ISU Grand Prix Final	3 65.06	1 119.14	1 184.20
November 16–19, 2006	2006 ISU Grand Prix Trophée Eric Bompard	1 65.22	1 119.32	1 184.54
November 2–5, 2006	2006 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada	1 62.68	4 105.80	3 168.48

• World records highlighted in bold.
• Season bests highlighted in Italic.

Junior and novice results

2005–2006 season
Date	Event	Level	QR	SP	FS	Total
March 6–12, 2006	2006 ISU World Junior Championships	Junior	1 107.52	1 60.86	1 116.68	1 177.54
January 5–8, 2006	60th South Korean National Championships	Senior	–	1 61.44	1 104.08	1 165.52
November 24–27, 2005	2005–2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final	Junior	–	1 57.51	1 116.61	1 174.12
September 29 – October 2, 2005	2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix, Bulgaria	Junior	–	1 53.45	1 99.98	1 153.43
September 1–4, 2005	2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix, Slovakia	Junior	–	1 58.63	1 110.20	1 168.83
2004–2005 season
Date	Event	Level	QR	SP	FS	Total
February 28 – March 6, 2005	2005 ISU World Junior Championships	Junior	1 102.98	6 48.67	2 110.26	2 158.93
January 1–4, 2005	59th South Korean National Championships	Senior	–	1	1	1 1.5
December 2–5, 2004	2004–2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final	Junior	–	2 51.27	3 86.48	2 137.75
September 16–19, 2004	2004 ISU Junior Grand Prix, China	Junior	–	4 38.87	1 92.35	2 131.22
September 1–5, 2004	2004 ISU Junior Grand Prix, Hungary	Junior	–	1 47.23	1 101.32	1 148.55
2003–2004 season
Date	Event	Level	QR	SP	FS	Total
February 2–5, 2004	58th South Korean National Championships	Senior	–	1	1	1 1.5
November 19–22, 2003	2003 Golden Bear of Zagreb	Novice	–	1	1	1 1.5
2002–2003 season
Date	Event	Level	QR	SP	FS	Total
March 8–11, 2003	57th South Korean National Championships	Senior	–	1	1	1 1.5
2001–2002 season
Date	Event	Level	QR	SP	FS	Total
April 18–21, 2002	2002 Triglav Trophy	Novice	–	1	1	1 1.5
November 20–23, 2001	56th South Korean National Championships	Junior	–	1	1	1 1.5

• ISU season bests highlighted in Italic.
• QR = Qualifying round

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kim Yuna.

• Official website (Korean) (English)
• Yuna Kim at the International Skating Union
• Yuna KIM at the Olympic.org
• Yuna KIM at the Olympic Athletes' Hub

World Records Holder
Preceded by Sasha Cohen	Ladies' Short Program 23 March 2007 – 27 March 2014	Succeeded by Mao Asada
Preceded by Mao Asada	Ladies' Free Skating 24 November 2007 – 2 April 2016	Succeeded by Evgenia Medvedeva
Preceded by Mao Asada	Ladies' Total Score 28 March 2009 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent