Korean Skating Sensation Yu-Na Kim
April 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under ice skating, the latest
Yu-Na Kim is an 18 year-old figure skater from Seoul, South Korea. Her name is sometimes listed as Yu-Na Kim – the western way, with the family name last – or Kim Yu-Na – the Korean way, with the family name first. However its written, it’s a name people will be remembering in ice skating circles for some time.
She is the 2009 World Champion and currently ranked #1 in the world. Kim holds the highest scores ever given in short program, free skating and combined under the ISU judging system.
According to the NY Times:
“Among Koreans, Kim transcends sports. Forbes Korea listed her as South Korea’s top celebrity. The Korea Times named her the Person of the Year in 2008. The runners-up? President Obama. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Her agent, Ryan W. Kim of IB Sports, said Kim stars in eight commercials for companies including Samsung and Hyundai. A compilation of her skating music, called “Fairy on the Ice, the Classics Album,” is one of the top-selling CDs at Music Plaza, a Koreatown store. About eight Korean newspapers and three Korean TV stations are at these championships to cover her.”
Her performances over the past few years have also made her an Internet sensation. Look for her to compete in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
ENJOY THIS VIDEO
All of South Korea seemed to be celebrating figure skater Kim Yu-na’s historic weekend win at the world championships, with her victory at the top of newscasts and newspapers carrying photos of “Queen Yu-na” on their front pages Monday.