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January 6, 2014

Kim Yuna wins her last prep event in a landslide…all set for Sochi

South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na performs during the ladies free skating at the Korea Figure Skating Championship 2014 in Goyang, north of Seoul, on Jan. 5, 2014. (Yonhap)

Kim Yuna is all set for the Sochi Olympics, winning her last preparation event in a landslide.

At the Goyang Oulimnuri Ice Rink at Gyeonggi Province, northwest of Seoul, Kim scored 147.26 points during the free skate for a total score of 227.86 points, nearly 50 points better than runner-up Park So-youn.

On Saturday, Kim earned 80.60 points in the short program to build a 22.12-point lead over Kim Hae-jin.

This was the final competitive appearance at home for the reigning Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion. It was also her last prep event before the Sochi Winter Olympics next month in Russia.

The 23-year-old has already said she will retire after Sochi, where she will aim to become only the third woman to successfully defend her Olympic figure skating gold medal.

Performing to a tango piece titled “Adios Nonino,” Kim opened her free skate with a perfect triple lutz-triple toe loop combination. While winning a minor event in Croatia last month, Kim failed to land the opening triple lutz, an uncharacteristic mistake for a skater known for her textbook jumps.

Kim went on to nail one jump after another, demonstrating unparalleled height and precision, and executed complicated steps set to the shifting rhythm of the tango music.

“I’m mostly satisfied with my performance. I’ve become more confident than I was before the Croatia event,” said Kim. “I will try to address some physical and technical issues until Sochi.”

Kim’s resounding win comes on the heels of a mediocre showing by her main rival, Mao Asada of Japan, at the Japanese national championships last month. Asada, who took silver behind Kim in Vancouver, finished third in Japan after a mistake-laden free skate, failing to win her third straight national title.

Asada’s success hinges heavily on the triple axel, considered the most challenging jump element for female skaters and which requires three-and-a-half rotations with a forward takeoff.

She has yet to execute the jump cleanly this season, either under-rotating it in the air or falling on her landing. If Asada can somehow perfect the high-risk, high-reward jump in time for Sochi, though, it would set up another epic duel between the two rivals for the Olympic title.