Yonhap News | 2013.12.08 | Ko Dong-Wook
(Zagreb, Croatia | Yonhap News) Lee Sang-Hak
‘Figure Queen’ Kim Yuna is interviewed by Yonhap News after winning the gold medal at the ‘Golden Spin of Zagreb’ at the Sportova Dom in Zagreb, Coratia.
‘Figure Queen’ Kim Yuna’s journey towards a second Olympic gold medal has started off successfully.
Kim won gold at the ‘Golden Spin of Zagreb’ competition that was held at the Sportova Dom in Zagreb, Coratia with a great score of 204.49,
a good start after she recovered from an injury.
Kim has announced that she would be retiring from competition after the Sochi Winter Olympics that will be held in February 2014.
Yonhap News interviewed Kim at the Sportova Dom ice rink after the competition ended.
Kim said that her injury “wasn’t a big shock psychologically,”
and that “the Olympic Games are the most important so I have to work hard to bring up my condition to its best until then.”
The following is Kim’s Q&A session.
Q: Your first competition was quite successful.
Kim: To be honest, there were a lot of parts that I was not satisfied with.
But I think it was pretty good considering it was my first competition.
Q: How were you injured?
Kim: Injuries are part of you almost 365 days a year. Athletes always have some sort of injury whether it is minor or major.
When you do a triple lutz or triple flip you have to pick the ice with your right foot and I’ve been doing those jumps for almost 12 years.
I practiced those particular jumps the most so perhaps it was about time that an injury caught up with me.
All that accumulated and ended up developing into an injury. The pain didn’t come suddenly out of the blue.
The pain just got worse to the point that I went to get it checked out and found out about the injury.
Q: Are you okay now?
Kim: Not fully. Unless I take time off and rest it won’t heal completely.
It’s something that I will have to deal with throughout my competitive career.
It’s not just me but almost every athlete has a reoccurring injury or two. It did hurt a lot but it wasn’t a big shock psychologically.
The Olympic Games are the most important so I have to work hard to bring up my condition to its best until then.
Q: Deciding to draw out of the Grand Prix events must have been a difficult decision to make.
Kim: I know I am at a disadvantage since other skaters have competed at big events
and received good scores while I wasn’t able to compete on the Grand Prix circuit. But the most important event is the Olympics.
I was not in the situation to skate at the Grand Prix events and came to the decision that competing in that situation would not be the best decision.
Q: What is your goal at the Sochi Olympics?
Kim: I’ve already achieved my dream of Olympic gold at Vancouver. So I’m not stressed by results.
It will be my last competition so I think I will able to end my career happy regardless of the results.
My goal is to skate well since I trained hard, rather than being focused on gold or silver.
Since it is my last competition I want to end it on a good note and enjoy the whole Olympic experience as well.
Q: The Sochi Olympics will be your last competition.
Kim: I really want to rest, with my injury and all.
I know it sounds weird to say that I am old, but I’m old for an athlete and I am feeling it.
When I needed about 60% of my strength to do something in the past, now it’s difficult even giving it my 100%.
It takes a longer time to recover from injuries and it’s harder to maintain my stamina.
So I wish that everything ends soon. I want to rest regardless of the results.
Q: But don’t you feel anxious when you think that your career as an athlete will end?
Kim: To be honest I do feel a bit anxious. I’ve been skating since I was 7.
I haven’t done anything outside of the sport. I don’t know if will do well, so it is scary.
To think that I have to start something knowing nothing is rather intimidating.
Q: How do you think you will feel after the Sochi Olympics end?
Kim: I don’t think I will feel empty after the Olympics this time. I did all that I could do.
I think I will be able to wrap up my career with a light heart.
But I am a bit worried about my life after it.
Q: What did you learn through figure skating?
Kim: (ponders for a long time then smiles) Perseverance? Every day is perseverance.
I’m sure that every job is the same but as an athlete; going through the same routine each day is difficult.
You also have to control the anxiousness of competitions.
I learned how to overcome such pressure and I think that I became calmer.
People have said that I had nerves of steel but I think that I became good at controlling my nerves.
Q: What do you see yourself doing in the future?
Kim: I’m not sure what I will do specifically.
However, whatever path I chose, I don’t want to cut ties with figure skating.
I just hope that it will be something I like and enjoy doing.
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