I'm currently watching a Yu-Na Kim TV special on Korean TV, so I thought I'd write down some of the things she says since they may be of interest to people.
So here we go:
She says, after the competition, she did interviews and the doping test, and then she, her parents, her coach, and agent celebrated back at the hotel, and then she had to wake up early for the Gala practice, so she didn't get much sleep. She said out of the group, her parents probably seemed the happiest. As for Brian Orser, she mentioned that he gave her medal a kiss, and it looked to her like he teared up a little when he did it.
She says her win hasn't sunk in quite yet, and so far, her life before and after winning the Gold Medal doesn't feel a whole lot different.
She had a lot of praise for Min-Jung Gwak, saying she did very well, especially considering it was only her 2nd international competition. She doesn't think she herself could have done that well at that age.
When asked when her greatest hardship has been in her career, she said it was hard to pick one out, since memories of difficult times outnumber the good moments. She said overall, her 2-3 year strugge with injuries was probably the toughest, because she had to struggle with it every single day.
She said her favorite moment in her SP is her "leg move coming out of the layback spin" (I'm not sure what this move is). When she was asked about the fast music part where she goes into her footwork, she said that was the part of the music that concerned her the most when she heard it for the first time.
She said the fact that she skated directly after Mao Asada did concern her when she first found out.
She said she wore blue for her LP because she thought it went with the music well, and she wasn't unaware that that many Olympic champions had worn blue before.
She says while she's skating, she doesn't really hear anything from the crowd, since she's so busy concentrating on what she's doing.
She says she doesn't know herself why she started crying after she finished her program. Before, she used to wonder why other skaters would start crying, and she can't really explain it herself even after she did it.
She said she watched Mao Asada's LP from backstage, and she felt Asada skated well. When asked whether she would rather skate before or after a rival, Yu-Na said probably every skater would answer "Before."
She was asked about Korean pop celebrities, and she said, she's busy training all the time, so although people sometimes think she's friends with famous people, that's not true, and she gets starstruck herself when she happens to meet them.
She was asked if she ever thought she's now better than her former role model Michelle Kwan, Yu-Na said that it's really too hard to compare skaters from then because the judging systems are different.
She was asked if she ever thought that she had an attractive body, she said, "I'll just live the way I am" and started laughing.
She was asked if she would ever be interested in going into the entertainment business, she said like other girls, she had thoughts of it when she was a lot younger. She said with her personality, being active suits her better than sitting at a desk and studying all the time.
As for romance, she said she hopes she can find a simple, normal relationship.
...They're showing footage of her practicing when she was younger, and after a fall, she cries, "Oh, that hurts." There's also a big bruise on her thigh...
Now footage of an old interview with her mom. She says, "There was a time when she and Yu-Na had many fights due to personality clashes."
Old interview footage of Yu-Na. She says, "There were times when she resented her mom for not being able to do other things, like hanging out with friends. But now, she realizes that made it possible for her to stand at the level where she is now."
Okay, back to Yu-Na. She says of her mom, "Sometimes, I think of her as a friend, sometimes, when we argue, she's like an enemy. But she's always been by my side up to now, and she's kept me from wavering."
What's Yu-Na's dream now? "Up til now, it's always been about the Olympics. So right now, I just want to enjoy the present, and take my time in deciding on a new goal."
Okay, the studio interview is over now. Anyhow, she seems like a very strong young woman, and I like how she doesn't come across as affected at all. She doesn't do some bubbly, cute "Oh, I'm so happy all the time" routine and comes off very down-to-earth. Congratulations, Yu-Na!
So here we go:
She says, after the competition, she did interviews and the doping test, and then she, her parents, her coach, and agent celebrated back at the hotel, and then she had to wake up early for the Gala practice, so she didn't get much sleep. She said out of the group, her parents probably seemed the happiest. As for Brian Orser, she mentioned that he gave her medal a kiss, and it looked to her like he teared up a little when he did it.
She says her win hasn't sunk in quite yet, and so far, her life before and after winning the Gold Medal doesn't feel a whole lot different.
She had a lot of praise for Min-Jung Gwak, saying she did very well, especially considering it was only her 2nd international competition. She doesn't think she herself could have done that well at that age.
When asked when her greatest hardship has been in her career, she said it was hard to pick one out, since memories of difficult times outnumber the good moments. She said overall, her 2-3 year strugge with injuries was probably the toughest, because she had to struggle with it every single day.
She said her favorite moment in her SP is her "leg move coming out of the layback spin" (I'm not sure what this move is). When she was asked about the fast music part where she goes into her footwork, she said that was the part of the music that concerned her the most when she heard it for the first time.
She said the fact that she skated directly after Mao Asada did concern her when she first found out.
She said she wore blue for her LP because she thought it went with the music well, and she wasn't unaware that that many Olympic champions had worn blue before.
She says while she's skating, she doesn't really hear anything from the crowd, since she's so busy concentrating on what she's doing.
She says she doesn't know herself why she started crying after she finished her program. Before, she used to wonder why other skaters would start crying, and she can't really explain it herself even after she did it.
She said she watched Mao Asada's LP from backstage, and she felt Asada skated well. When asked whether she would rather skate before or after a rival, Yu-Na said probably every skater would answer "Before."
She was asked about Korean pop celebrities, and she said, she's busy training all the time, so although people sometimes think she's friends with famous people, that's not true, and she gets starstruck herself when she happens to meet them.
She was asked if she ever thought she's now better than her former role model Michelle Kwan, Yu-Na said that it's really too hard to compare skaters from then because the judging systems are different.
She was asked if she ever thought that she had an attractive body, she said, "I'll just live the way I am" and started laughing.
She was asked if she would ever be interested in going into the entertainment business, she said like other girls, she had thoughts of it when she was a lot younger. She said with her personality, being active suits her better than sitting at a desk and studying all the time.
As for romance, she said she hopes she can find a simple, normal relationship.
...They're showing footage of her practicing when she was younger, and after a fall, she cries, "Oh, that hurts." There's also a big bruise on her thigh...
Now footage of an old interview with her mom. She says, "There was a time when she and Yu-Na had many fights due to personality clashes."
Old interview footage of Yu-Na. She says, "There were times when she resented her mom for not being able to do other things, like hanging out with friends. But now, she realizes that made it possible for her to stand at the level where she is now."
Okay, back to Yu-Na. She says of her mom, "Sometimes, I think of her as a friend, sometimes, when we argue, she's like an enemy. But she's always been by my side up to now, and she's kept me from wavering."
What's Yu-Na's dream now? "Up til now, it's always been about the Olympics. So right now, I just want to enjoy the present, and take my time in deciding on a new goal."
Okay, the studio interview is over now. Anyhow, she seems like a very strong young woman, and I like how she doesn't come across as affected at all. She doesn't do some bubbly, cute "Oh, I'm so happy all the time" routine and comes off very down-to-earth. Congratulations, Yu-Na!
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