Trivia and Fun Stuff
When Yu-Na was young, she would all of a sudden be able to hit all her big jumps and spins easily when her coach made a dare with the skaters collectively; those who perform this 'dare' the best would be awarded with small prizes like sweets, energy drinks etc. She would win often and get teased by other elder skaters heartily. (Source: Yu-Na's Seven-Minute Drama, os168@YNKF)
Yu-Na has shown competitiveness beyond skating as well, even with simple tasks like 'who has the cleanest and tidiest room during their coach's inspection' early in the morning at skate camp in the US when she was 12/13. (Source: Yu-Na's Seven-Minute Drama, os168@YNKF)
When she was little, she would participate in the 'who can best imitate their favourite skater the best' games, something all the kids do for fun in between their training time. Unsurprising, she always performed as Michelle Kwan, and she often won. (Source: Yu-Na's Seven-Minute Drama, os168@YNKF)
Yu-Na likes to wear black costumes at Worlds. Over the course of 5 Worlds competitions, she has won predominantly black for her costumes 3 times in the Short Program (Tango de Roxanne, Danse Macabre, James Bond), once in the Long Program (Homage to Korea), twice in the gala (Gold, Bulletproof).
Yu-Na wore a new costume for “Tango de Roxanne” when she made her debut on the senior Grand Prix at the 2006 Skate Canada SP. However, she received feedback that the dress was more appropriate for flamenco than tango, so she reverted to her previous costume that she had worn as a junior for the rest of the season.
The beads in Yu-Na's dress for the “James Bond Medley” short program were sewn in by hand and required 200 hours of work.
At the 2009-2010 GPF, Yu-Na received a “James Bond” teddy bear thrown on to the ice after her short program, and a “Gershwin” bear after her long program. She had to fix the Gershwin bear's boots in the kiss & cry. Yu-Na is known to be sensitive to her boots and blades. (Source)
Yu-Na chose to skate to Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade for her 2008-2009 LP because of Michelle Kwan, her idol, who performed to the music in 2001-2002 and at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. (According to Ice Skating International Online, “Kim said that performance had been an inspiration to her and she had always wanted to skate to this music, too.”) Article
When she was young, Yu-Na trained at Michelle Kwan's rink in Southern California one summer, and ran into Kwan in the bathroom. “She had short hair,” Kim recalls. “I was shy so I ran away.” (Source: NBC Olympics) Yu-Na later officially met Michelle Kwan during practices for the 2009 World Championships.
In 2004, fourteen-year-old Yu-Na told a newspaper that her dream was to become a champion like Michelle Kwan. Michelle Kwan was on hand to witness Yu-Na becoming a world champion in 2009 and Olympic champion in 2010.
Yu-Na was coached by Brian Orser through the 2010 Olympics, who was famous for his rivalry with Brian Boitano in the Battle of the Brians at the 1988 Olympics, where Boitano finished first and Orser second. Brian Boitano mentored Alissa Czisny leading up to the 2009 World Championships and was there at the competition, which Yu-Na won. Alissa Czisny finished 11th.
Michelle Kwan was seven years old when she was inspired by Brian Boitano's 1988 Olympic gold medal-winning performance in Calgary. In 1998, Michelle Kwan's performance at the Nagano Olympics inspired a young Yu-Na Kim, who was seven years old.
During the 2006-2007 season, Yu-Na was the only ladies skater to receive a Level 4 for her layback spin twice. She received it for her layback spin in the 2006 Skate Canada LP and in the 2007 Worlds SP. [Other skaters to receive a level 4 layback spin once during this season: Kathrin Freudelsperger (Worlds 2007 SP), Elene Gedevanishvili (Worlds 07 LP), Yukari Nakano (2006 NHK Trophy SP), and Binshu Xu (Skate Canada 06 LP).]
Yu-Na mastered the basic triples in the following order: triple toeloop, salchow, lutz, flip, and loop. The toeloop, salchow, and flip were the easiest to learn. The lutz took the longest, while she mastered the loop last, training overseas at age 12.
According to Mr. Seigi, a figure skating boot expert, Yuna's blade (gold seal) is rounder and better for step sequence. This type of blade shape is very difficult to manage unless the skater has an exceptional skating skills.
Yu-Na won her first ISU event as a junior at the 2004 JGP Budapest. The Hungarian commentator for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics remembered this, and noted during the ladies long program that Kim Yu-Na had won her first event in Budapest.
During the podium ceremony for the 2006 Junior World Championships, which Yu-Na won, commentator Lou Tilley remarked that he thought it would be fun to watch Yu-Na and Mao’s rivalry for years to come. And after watching them pose for pictures, Yu-Na in the center, Mao to the viewer’s left, he closed by saying, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in Vancouver in a similar pose.” He was correct.
Though Yu-Na was not age-eligible to compete at either the 2006 Olympics or the 2006 World Championships, she was praised by German Eurosport commentator Hendryk Schamberger during the Worlds broadcast. Kimmie Meissner won the event but he said that Yu-Na Kim, the junior world champion, could have won the competition with her programs. YNKF
In 2007, Yu-Na and Mao Asada appeared on a Japanese television show, where they were interviewed. They were each given a True/False paddle and asked to answer 10 questions. When the question asked them if they would be the one to win the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Mao raised her paddle to say yes, while Yu-Na raised hers to say no. They were both incorrect. Video
Her oldest friend among active skaters is Evan Lysacek, as she met him when she competed at age 12 at the 2002 Triglav Trophy in the novice division, which she won. Evan Lysacek won the junior men's division. They have also won the following events at the same time: 2009 Worlds, 2009 Skate America, 2009 GPF, 2010 Olympics. YNKF
Yu-Na is the only ladies Olympic champion to have won the four currently existing ISU championships: Olympics, World Championship, Grand Prix Final, and Four Continents. Since 1994, Alexei Yagudin, Evgeni Plushenko, and Evan Lysacek are the only male skaters to have accomplished this feat (substituting Europeans for Four Continents for European skaters). Other singles Olympic champions missed 1-3 of the other titles: Ilia Kulik & Alexei Urmanov (never won a world championship), Shizuka Arakawa (twice a runner-up at 4CCs, runner-up at GPF), Sarah Hughes (placed 3rd at the GPF twice, 3rd at Worlds, never competed at 4CCs), Oksana Baiul (2nd at Europeans twice, retired before GPF existed), Tara Lipinski (retired before 4CCs existed).
Yu-Na won both the short program and the long program at the Olympics. The last Olympic champion to do so was Kristi Yamaguchi, in 1992. Ironically, Kristi also had a triple lutz/triple toeloop combination and defeated Midori Ito, who was the first woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics. Kristi and Midori each landed one of their most difficult elements in 1992; in 2010, Yu-Na landed two triple lutz/triple toe combinations (one in the short and one in the long), and Mao Asada landed 3 triple axels (one in the short, two in the long).
Like the Olympic champions of 1998, 2002, 2006, Yu-Na's 2010 Olympic winning long program dress was blue. She said it had been in the back of her mind, but luckily, blue went with the music and program anyway.
Yu-Na winning the Olympics in 2010 continued a streak of winners whose name ended in an “a” sound (Oksana, Tara, Sarah, Shizuka).
Yu-Na winning the Olympics in 2010 as the 2009 world champion resumed the tradition of the reigning world champion winning the Olympics (Katarina Witt - 1988, Kristi Yamaguchi - 1992, Oksana Baiul - 1994, Tara Lipinski - 1998. Sarah Hughes was the reigning world bronze medalist in 2002 and Shizuka Arakawa was the 2004 world champion when she won the OGM in 2006).
For Yu-Na's “Just a Girl” Exhibition during the 2007-2008 season, she was not aware that the pants were to be worn with the zipper in the back. So she wore them incorrectly for several performances until the 2007 GPF, where she wore them properly. YNKF
Yu-Na forgot to bring the gloves for her “Please Don't Stop the Music” Exhibition at the 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard.
Yu-Na successfully defended the following titles (wins in consecutive seasons): Grand Prix Final (2006 & 2007), Cup of China (2007 & 2008), Skate America (2008 & 2009). Won 4 consecutive senior Korean national championships (2003-2006).
Yu-Na went undefeated in her final junior season, 2005-2006, winning all 4 consecutive ISU events and both segments at every competition.
Yu-Na has won a segment (short or long) in every competition entered from the fall of 2005-2011, starting with the 2005 JGP Slovakia through 2011 Worlds. (23 consecutive ISU events; 19 senior ISU events). She has never finished off the podium competing internationally from 2004-2011!
Yu-Na won 12 ISU competitions by winning both the short and long (7 senior, 5 junior).
Yu-Na has medaled at 5 of the current 6 Grand Prix events, with 4 of them being gold (Trophee Eric Bompard, Cup of China, Cup of Russia, and Skate America). She has won a bronze at Skate Canada, and she has never been invited to NHK Trophy.
Many skaters appear to have been inspired by Yu-Na's skating…and fashion!