Yu-na Kim to compete in 2014 Winter Olympics

The figure skating queen smiled comfortably. She said that she missed the ice and cannot give up being an athlete. Yu-na Kim, 22, said, “I will participate in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and then I will retire” Kim revealed her plan to continue her job as an athlete at a press conference at Taereung Training Center.  People anticipated that Yu-na Kim would quit amateur athletic competition to skate professionally and focus on her endorsement work. Her plans to compete in Sochi were a surprise to some.

“After I won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, I didn’t have a clear goal as an athlete. I didn’t prepare for the season last year and it was a relaxing break for me.  I will go to Sochi as a South Korean champion. I think my fans will raise me up when I am on the ice rink. When I was little I imagined a gold medal in Vancouver as the end of my athletic career, but now that has changed. I would like to round off my long career with a complete victory in Sochi.”

Behind the difficult decision, one can see Kim’s ambition to fulfill her duty as an elite athlete. Yu-na Kim first wore skates when she was 7, became a celebrity as a world Junior grand prize final second runner up, and in 2005 became the first Korean to win a silver medal at the world championships.  Kim’s success won her many fans and plenty of affection. “After I won a gold medal my fans…

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