Why did Yu-Na Kim arrive late in Sochi? | Golden Skate

Why did Yu-Na Kim arrive late in Sochi?

Andre Smith

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Most top skaters have arrived in Sochi, but Yu-Na just did today.
Didn't she need enough time to adjust to the new place?
Anyone knows why she came this late?
Is that part of her winning strategy?
I'm excited to watch her perform.
Go Yu-Na!
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
It adds to her air of mystery and intimidates the other skaters, even more so than if she were there and crushing her rivals like ants during the practice sessions. It also doesn't give her would-be rivals the opportunity to get used to her presence.
 

VirMo

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
It adds to her air of mystery and intimidates the other skaters, even more so than if she were there and crushing her rivals like ants during the practice sessions. It also doesn't give her would-be rivals the opportunity to get used to her presence.

Good conjecture but let's not have the mass misguided by a guess. First of all, it is still one week before her first competition in the 20th. Arriving one week earlier gives her more than enough time to adapt to the environment. Consider that for other international competitions it is common for skaters to even arrive one or two days before. Yuna is not Yulia. She has been to numerous places all over the world for all kinds of competition for more than half of her life.

Not to mention that she had a better environment to practice in Seoul rather than in Sochi where she would have limited time to use the rink and have to share with other competitors. She simply took more time to train in a more controlled environment.
 

gourry

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
I believe it's simply a matter of practicality.
Yuna didn't compete at team event, and as far as I know, Korea hasn't rent any training base unlike Japan(in Ukraine I heard?), Canada(in Germany), Russia(in Moscow) ect. (Does anybody know where the US skaters train?)
So Yuna can only use the ice along the official practice schedule and that's why she stayed in Korea as long as possible to maintain her training.
Of course this is just my understanding and there could be other reasons.
 

vegarin

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
^Hee, okay, I laughed.

She doesn't have to participate in the team skate -- well, I guess she doesn't get to, because Korea has only female singles on account of her and no other figure skaters to speak of, other than two lady skaters she's bringing along, so her country doesn't qualify -- so there's no reason to come early. Everyone else, including Caro, whose country isn't as racked up with as skaters like as Russia, US, and Japan, participated in the team skate, so they had to be here earlier.

If I remember correctly, in the last Olympics, Mao and Yuna arrived around the same time in the middle of the Olympics, not at the very beginning, because there was no team event. Can anyone verify that or am I imagining it?

I'm not sure whether not participating in the team helped her or not. Not so good for PCS, and she can't get used to the ice as quickly this way. I'm sure there's plus and minus.
 

GiveHer6.0's

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Also, the short and speed skaters left for Sochi so Yuna pretty much had the whole national training facility to herself the past week. There is an air of mystery surrounding Yuna which could be to her advantage.....
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
She's actually pretty early relative to the only event she's participating in (individual ladies). Many skaters arrived early for the games because of the team event.

Also, I read somewhere that because most Olympic Korean athletes left early for Sochi, she had more ice time to herself in her training rink. So it was very valuable for her to stay in Seoul and take advantage of that. Also, unlike other countries Korea didn't rent any local rink for their figure skaters.
 

jenm

The Last One Degree
Medalist
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
IMO, Yuna's mystery makes the ladies individual event even more exciting. :popcorn:
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
If I remember correctly, in the last Olympics, Mao and Yuna arrived around the same time in the middle of the Olympics, not at the very beginning, because there was no team event. Can anyone verify that or am I imagining it?

I'm not sure whether not participating in the team helped her or not. Not so good for PCS, and she can't get used to the ice as quickly this way. I'm sure there's plus and minus.
I was just digging through Yuna and Mao's respective fan forums trying to find the answer. :laugh: If what I was reading was right, Mao and Yuna both arrived in Vancouver 8 days after the opening ceremony.

Minus because she couldn't get the opportunity to compete on the ice once and get used to it. PCS-wise I doubt she'll be hurt given the way her last international outing was where she won Worlds decisively.
Plus because she didn't have an opportunity to make a mistake. And, of course, the mystery factor. :biggrin:
 

gourry

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
I was just digging through Yuna and Mao's respective fan forums trying to find the answer. :laugh: If what I was reading was right, Mao and Yuna both arrived in Vancouver 8 days after the opening ceremony.

Minus because she couldn't get the opportunity to compete on the ice once and get used to it. PCS-wise I doubt she'll be hurt given the way her last international outing was where she won Worlds decisively.
Plus because she didn't have an opportunity to make a mistake. And, of course, the mystery factor. :biggrin:

Yeah, what CarneAsada said. (by the way, your screen name always makes me hungry. :biggrin:)

The pros and cons of team event in Yuna's words:
Pros: You have a chance to get used to the ice and perform before the individual event.
Cons: Every competition is added stress. It could affect your condition for the individual event. If you have a bad competition at the team event, it could psychologically affect you.
 

shizuzzang

Spectator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
One Japanese TV show had interviewed Yuna's friend recently and she said " It is rare that Yuna is healthy these days.".
For her last performance, she probably know what she needed to do.

I will miss her after her real retirement.
:cry:
 

jkaruna

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 4, 2013
That interview by her friend was done before 2013 World championship event. Despite of her physical condition, she won by hugh margin. Her mental strength is just amazing!
One Japanese TV show had interviewed Yuna's friend recently and she said " It is rare that Yuna is healthy these days.".
For her last performance, she probably know what she needed to do.

I will miss her after her real retirement.
:cry:
 

swc0931

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
because Yuna can only use the rink through official practice time. Korea doesn't rent ice rink for her unlike Japan, Russia,Canada...etc...
This is why Yuna arrive late in Sochi, she tried to stayed in Korea long as possible for her training...
 

pororocheburashka

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
because Yuna can only use the rink through official practice time. Korea doesn't rent ice rink for her unlike Japan, Russia,Canada...etc...
This is why Yuna arrive late in Sochi, she tried to stayed in Korea long as possible for her training...

Carolina Kostner is in Germany from Saturday last week too.
Official practice in Sochi (according to Carolina Kostner) is only 30 min x day.
Squads and/or single competitors that can afford it are training away.
It's not the "old" olympic style spirit: stay with other competitors in the village etc.
Because for most competitors results only matter.
 

Ophelia

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
^Well that sucks. She's losing valuable training time by being restricted to 30 min/day in Sochi.
 

guanchi

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Could be a miscalculation on the Yuna team not to have rented rinks somewhere else- 30min seems awfully short per day. Is she getting time somewhere else? Not sure though what constitutes official and unofficial practice- perhaps getting sole use and full runthrough with music is official, and shared skating unofficial?
 
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