Kim Yu-na Finishes Final Practice in Turin

“I wasn’t mentally as good as I was at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. But my condition has gotten better after arriving in Turin and practicing with other skaters.”

Olympic and world figure skating champion Kim Yu-na looked bright after a day of rest yesterday. Dreaming of winning her second consecutive world title, she held her final official practice at an ice rink in the Italian city yesterday.

Before her practice, she watched the men’s short program yesterday and the compulsory ice dance Wednesday. It is uncommon for her to watch other competitions for two straight days, meaning she could feel confident and relaxed.

In her practice, she focused on jumping and checked her condition. When her turn came, she performed her short program and looked impressive with three jumps.

After practice, she said, “After resting yesterday, my condition has gotten better. I had to train at this practice ice rink. But I believe it doesn’t matter since I’ve already practiced at the main rink (Palavela Arena) once.”

Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada of Japan also held her first official practice yesterday. She initially made a mistake in a triple axel attempt, but performance gradually improved.

After practice, Asada said, “I’ve been worried over my triple axel. But I feel relieved since I’ve done better in the jump here than in Japan.”

“I gained two kilograms after the Olympics because I skipped practice for several days and ate lots of food. But now, I’ve gotten my optimal body condition back.”

She added, “The first thought that struck me after arriving in Turin was that ‘I won the silver medal at a competition held here.’” Asada lost to Kim and finished second at the Grand Prix Final in Turin in 2007.

In the men’s short program, Kim Min-seok ranked 18th out of 48 skaters. He will become the first Korean man today to perform in the free skating program at the World Figure Skating Championships.

creating@donga.com