Korea-Japan Figure Skating Competition on the Way

Korea’s Kim Yeon-ah (16, Gyeonggi Gunpo Suri H.S.) on March 7 received the top score of Group A in World Junior Figure Skating Championships preliminaries held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Another 16-year-old skater from Japan, Mao Asada, who was born on the same month and year as Kim, also earned the highest score in Group B.

Final Ranking to be Decided on March 10-

Attended by 53 skaters from all over the world, 31 will advance to the main round of this event and will earn their final rankings through their performance in the short program on March 8 and a free skating on March 10. The upcoming showdown between Kim and Asada excites many figure skating fans because Kim and Asada, who were unable to participate in the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics due to the age restriction, might compete with each other for the gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics’ figure skating women’s singles.

The first international arena where the two athletes faced each other was the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final held in Helsinki, Finland, in December 2004, in which Kim took second place by scoring below Asada. In November 2005, Kim won the Junior Grand Prix Final held in Ostrava, Czech Republic, beating Aki Sawada of Japan. The only regret was that Kim’s archrival Asada was not in the competition. On the other hand, Asada won an adult figure skating championship at the ISU Grand Prix Final, further spurring the rivalry with Kim. Objectively speaking, Kim is at a slight disadvantage. Asada is capable of executing a triple axel (three and a half revolutions in the air), the pinnacle of female figure skating skills; and she brings strong self-assurance from winning an adult competition.

Four Revolutions Will Decide Medals-

Kim plans to make full use of theatrics—her strongest point—and play it safe by impressing the judges with her Bielman spins (spinning while grabbing the blade of skate and raising it above the head). The Associated Press and other foreign media outlets displayed keen interest in whether or not Asada will attempt a quadruple jump (four revolutions), the first time for a female figure skater. Asada said in a recent interview that she might attempt it. A quadruple jump is a skill that has a high failure rate. Asada’s failure in executing it could increase the possibility of a victory by Kim.

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com