The queen has finally returned, to the delight of all Koreans as well as figure skating fans.
Reigning Olympic champion Kim Yu-na won the world title Sunday morning (KST) in her first appearance at the World Figure Skating Championships in two years.
What was most jaw-dropping was her score of 218.31 points, the highest ever garnered by a female skater this season, her personal second-best and the world’s second-best following the 228.56 she earned at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The score put Kim more than 20 points ahead of defending world champion Carolina Kostner of Italy and Japan’s Mao Asada.
Her triumph is all the more meaningful in that she overcame what appeared to be an unfavorable judgment of her near-perfect performance in the short program ― she earned a lower-than-expected 69.97 points in the short after having an edge call on her triple flip.
True, there are no proper words to describe her genuine courage to make up her mind to return to the ice rink last July, given the enormous physical and mental endurance needed to prepare for figure skating competition.
Even without this victory, she is qualified enough to get the highest praise merely because of the fact she embarked on a new challenge even after achieving both honor and wealth with her victory in Vancouver. It might not be too much to say that she will set an example for our youngsters who often feel frustrated in the face of harsh realities.
Also notable is that Kim, in taking the world title, gave Korea the maximum three spots in ladies’ figure skating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. It will be the first time three Korean figure skaters will perform at a single Olympics and will certainly pave the way for Korea to improve its figure skating level in the run-up to the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
With her resounding victory, Kim has brightened her chance of back-to-back Olympic triumphs. This possibility is deemed higher, given that in five of the past seven Winter Olympics, the world champions from the previous year have gone on to win Olympic gold. Kim herself proved this true by claiming her first world title in 2009 and then her first Olympic gold in 2010.
With just 11 months to go before the Sochi Olympics, however, there is no room for complacency. Only incessant effort and thorough preparation will guarantee her success.
This is The Korea Times editorial for Monday, March, 18, 2013.
