Kim Yu-na wins figure skating title

 

South Korea's Kim Yu-na won gold at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver, Canada, on Friday.

 

Kim, a two-time world championship bronze medalist, scored 116.83 points at the free skating competition, following a world-record short program performance of 72.24 points on Wednesday, for a total of 189.07 points.

 

She held off a fierce challenge from Joannie Rochette, who came in second with 183.91 points, and Mao Asada of Japan, last year's champion, came in third with 176.52 points.

 

Kim’s victory of the championship raised expectation in Korea that she will take gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in the same Canadian city.

 

"I wanted to do a triple loop but I missed it," Kim said. "The rest of the program was great. For me to have first in Vancouver is good."

 

"I couldn't win last year's competition because of an injury. I'm trying to keep my health in good condition this year."

 

Clad in red, the 19-year old skated to "Scheherazade" by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, successfully pulling off a triple flip-triple toe loop combination at the opening of her performance.

 

Kim fell once while attempting a triple loop jump but made up for lost points by skillfully managing the rest of her jumps, including a double axel-triple toe combination.

 

Kim, who recently graduated high school and gained admission to a top university in Seoul, commands a fan base as big as any celebrity in her native South Korea.

 

The first South Korean to ever to win a medal at a senior international figure skating event, Kim has captured the last five Grand Prix series events she has competed in since 2006.

 

Source: Korea Herald