Kim Yu-na goes back to school for Olympic bid

SEOUL - Reuters

Kim Yu-na wants to hang up her skates with another gold in Sochi. AFP photo

South Korean figure skating queen Kim Yu-na is going back to elementary school in a bid to retain her Olympic title at the Sochi Games in 2014.

After more than a year away from competitive skating, the 22-year-old was reuniting with childhood coaches Shin Hye-sook and Ryu Jong-hyun, her management agency said yesterday.

Kim ended speculation over her retirement plans in July by announcing she wanted to hang up her skates with another gold medal at the Sochi Olympics.

“The season is already underway and I know it is a bit too late to bring in coaches,” Kim told a news conference at the National Training Center in Seoul.

“But I am back with coaches who were with me at the beginning of my career. I expect to get a great deal of help from them in training and competitions.”

‘70 percent ready’

A huge celebrity in South Korea, the 2010 Vancouver gold medalist she was currently only “about 70 percent ready” for international competition. “The focus of my training will be on conditioning,” said Kim, who has not competed since taking silver at the 2011 world championships.

“Technically I still have a feel for jumps and as long as I can get my strength back, there should be no problem,” she added.

Kim has retained the services of Canadian choreographer David Wilson. The soundtrack for her short program will be “The Kiss of the Vampire” and her free skate will be a compilation of songs from “Les Miserables.”