(Thumbnail Image: CBC)
“Triple Lutz…and the Triple toe loop” (NBC)
South Korea’s crown jewel stunned the world with her performance in women’s figure skating Thursday night. The gold medalist is now a household name all over the world.
“It might be the greatest performance in figure skating ever. Gold for the bond girl from South Korea”
ESPN reports Kim’s performance not only earned her a gold medal, but a place in Olympic history.
“Winning gold in women’s figure skating, shattering her own world record by scoring 228.56 points, that is 18 points higher than her previous record. The 19-year-old Kim, the first South Korean to medal in the sport.”
But who is this seemingly unknown athlete who catapulted onto the world stage to become figure skating’s number one star? NBC’s Olympic commentators say it's her attitude has helped make her a star.
“In South Korea she sells everything from cars, jewelry, water, other food products, but her humility keeps her wildly popular, the most popular celebrity in South Korea.”
Korean newspaper Joong Ang Daily says Koreans everywhere stopped what they were doing to watch.
“Since Kim was slated to start her routine at 1:21 p.m Korean time, office workers across Seoul grabbed a quick lunch, and then gathered around TVs or a colleague’s computer to view what would be a record breaking performance.”
Despite being a superstar in Korea, the Edmonton Journal reports Kim hasn’t lived there fulltime for quite a while.
“Since 2006, Kim has trained in Toronto with two-time Olympic medalist Brian Orser, Canadian choreographer David Wilson and assistant coach Tracy Wilson, a former Canadian ice dancer.”
Beating her Japanese competitor Mao Asada was a particularly satisfying victory. The New York Times says the age-old rivalry runs deep.
“She held up under enormous pressure to succeed as an athlete, a cultural icon and a vanquisher of competitors from Japan, which occupied the Korean peninsula for 35 years through the end of World War II.”
Having accomplished all this at just 19 years old, now people are waiting to see what's next for Kim Yu-Na.
Writer: Alyssa Caverley
Producer: Grace Meiners
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