Figure Skating

PARIS, France -- South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-Na knows she is within touching distance of Olympic gold.

Ever since watching Tara Lipinski become the youngest individual gold medallist in Winter Games history aged 15 at the 1998 Nagano Games, the girl from Gyounggi-Do has been dreaming of being on top of the podium.
Kim missed her chance to compete at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

After Lipinski, the International Skating Union (ISU) devised an age limit and Kim, the 2006 world junior champion, missed the deadline by two months.
She has her chance now and is determined not to let it slip.

"I've been watching the Olympics since 1998 and dreaming of being there," explains the 19-year-old.

"For Turin I just missed going because my birthday wasn't enough. Now finally I can go to the Olympics and fulfill my dream of performing there."

The road has been a long one for Kim, the first Korean to medal at an ISU Championship when she took silver at the 2005 world junior championships and bronze at the 2007 world championships.

But she believes her move to Canada in 2006 has done a lot to improve her confidence. She is is now being coached by Canada's 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser in Toronto.

Kim credits Orser with transforming her and helping her to her first world title earlier this year.

"When I met Brian I was very shy, but through many events and competitions my personality has changed and I've become like another person," she said.

And Kim revealed that her short programme for the Grand Prix and Olympic season was a demonstration of her new-found personality.

Skating to a medley from James Bond films, including appropriately enough, "Goldfinger", she dazzled in her season-opening Trophée Eric Bompard, outshining rivals that included 2008 world champion Mao Asada of Japan.

"For the past few years I've skated to music with a story. But this time I'm trying to express the music itself," she explains.

"David Wilson my choreographer suggested 007.

"When I first heard the music I thought 'right this is something different'. It's not the music that women skaters usually choose. I'm very happy with the decision."

"During the summer I tried to improve all types of things.

"This is the Olympic season. I'm a little bit nervous but I feel confident after last season, added Kim, who heads to Skate America next month, as she fine-tunes her performance for the Olympics next February.