[VOD & News] Kim Yu-na (김연아) , Mao Asada (浅田 真央) Reveal Olympic Strategies

24.2.10

[VOD & News] Kim Yu-na (김연아) , Mao Asada (浅田真央) Reveal Olympic Strategies

[VOD & News] Kim Yu-na, Mao Asada Reveal Olympic Strategies
February 24, 2010 - Repost : http://twssg.blogspot.com/

Cr.englishnews@chosun.com

The strategies for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver of Korean and Japanese rival figure skaters Kim Yu-na and Mao Asada are gradually being revealed. Kim is determined to reaffirm her status as the reigning world champion, and Asada is eager to unseat Kim to win back the world's top spot with new techniques added to her arsenal.

Kim held an open rehearsal for an ice show scheduled over the weekend at the Gymnastic Stadium in Olympic Park, southeastern Seoul. After skating with others including the legendary Michelle Kwan, Kim said, "I always try to skate the best I can each time I'm on the ice."

Choreographer David Wilson commented on the rationale behind the new programs. Through the short program to the 007 James Bond medley, Wilson said he tried to realize the "beautiful, dangerous and mysterious" image of the Bond Girl. As for the free program set to Gershwin's piano concerto in F, Wilson said it epitomizes the process of Kim growing from a shy girl into an international star.

On the reason behind the drastic change in the choice of music from last year, Wilson said that he thought it would be better to completely change the genre of music and choreography after a highly successful program.

Mao Asada (浅田真央)

Asada, meanwhile, is increasing the level of technical difficulty in her jumps. In a public practice session at the ice rink of the Chukyo University in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday, Asada announced that she will go for a triple axel-triple toe loop combination. An axel jump is the most difficult type of jump as it requires an extra half rotation more than other jumps, due to its forward take-off. A triple axel requires three and a half rotations in the air with a take-off on the forward outside edge and a landing on the back outside edge.

Asada is the only female figure skater to land a triple axel consistently among currently active skaters, succeeding in the triple axel in combination with a double jump at the end of last season. For this season, she upped the technical difficulty by adding a triple toe loop jump, where a skater jumps and lands on the back right outside edge. No woman skater has yet landed such combination at the Olympics. She will also include a triple-triple-double jump combination in the free program. Her coach, the legendary Tatiana Tarasova, said, "We can win if we do something that nobody can do."

김연아(Kim Yu Na 金姸兒) practiced her program
at VANCOUVER on 22th Feb 2010