Translation credits to Sundy7

Kim Yuna’s tomorrow will remain as promising as the shining star…as solid as ice…

Becoming someone’s friend is simpler than you might think.  All you need to do is put your trust in the other person. Figure skater Kim Yuna and KB’s beginning had started out with ‘trust’ only.  We became each other’s star by planting our faith in one another that way.  Kim Yuna says, “KB is like an old friend.  A precious friend who always silently watches from behind and steadily cheers me on.”

The most familiar name: ‘Athlete/Skater Kim Yuna.’

A young skater who started rewriting the history of our country’s figure skating record book has swiftly grown into a big tree (a big name). Future is another name for today to Kim Yuna who makes the word ‘success’ seem colorless because she moves forward without any hesitation as if only tomorrow existed.  Except for attending UN’s International Day of Peace Ceremony as Unicef’s Goodwill Ambassador not long ago, she’s been getting trained at her training base camp in L.A. most of the time.

“Although training is the most important thing, I think doing charity works will also benefit my future greatly.  I plan to try my hardest not to remain as a Goodwill Ambassador just in name only.  Of course, the first thing I’d like to do is helping out other athletes because I am still an athlete myself.  I’d like to become someone who can encourage young skaters who are going through the same kind of experiences I was going through with even just one line of encouraging words as an athlete who has had walked on the same path that they have started walking on.”

However, because skating is the most familiar and comfortable thing for her to do than being a Goodwill Ambassador or a mentor, she talks about her current training status calling herself just ‘an athlete.’  “I was really busy the first half of this year working on my presentations for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Bid and working for a broadcasting network among other things while I was staying in Korea.  I am steadily practicing for the upcoming ice show that will be held at the Harvard University soon.  Steady practice is really important for an athlete.  My current condition is not bad thanks to it.  I hope to show good performances at the fund-raising ice show in this condition.”

Kim Yuna’s Place

Even though she is used to being called a figure skater, she says the thing she would most like to do is living as a college student if she were given a day to live as an average Kim Yuna.  A daily life where she could listen to a teacher’s lecture and eat with her classmates as she chatters with them all away from a public’s eye.  Although such daily life seems quite an ordinary experience for anyone else have, such way of life is something of an unimaginably special thing for Kim Yuna.  Nevertheless, she knows well what she is supposed to do in her position.  Therefore, she does not dwell on the vigor of a campus life.  It’s merely a different life in the case of ‘if’ she were to be given a day to live as she wished to.  Skater Kim Yuna’s sagacity shines in several places.  It goes without saying that that is the case when she’s on the ice, but it’s also true in every place where she needs be there as ‘Kim Yuna (which means it’s the name that people identify as something very positive, dholes of ATY^^).’

Some time ago, we were able to fully enjoy a moment of inspiration as we were looking at skater Kim Yuna’s face.  It was at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Bid.  Kim Yuna’s presentation for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Bid that began with “10 years ago when PyeongChang began its dream to host the Winter Games, I was a young girl beginning to dream my own Olympic dream in an ice rink in Seoul,” moved not only the hearts of our nation’s people, but the hearts of the people around the world also.  As if to say Yuna’s presentation had moved the hearts of the IOC members too, the words “PyeongChang” came out of the mouth of the President of IOC, Jacques Rogge, when he was announcing the venue that will be hosting the [2018] Winter Olympic Games.  One word that we were able to finally hear after a long wait… What must have skater Kim Yuna felt like at that moment on the scene where everybody was feeling overjoyed?

“We were expecting the President of IOC, Jacques Rogge, to take a long time to announce the host for the Winter Olympics, but because it was swiftly announced, I was in a complete daze.  Even though I wasn’t greatly surprised by the announcement because everybody related to the bid committee was certain that PyeongChang would win the bid, tears of joy gushed out nevertheless when PyeongChang was actually announced as the host city.  It still feels like a dream.  Even though it’s late, I would like to congratulate everyone who’s been working hard for the PyeongChang Olympic Bid once more.  I would also like to share the joy with the people of our nation who have been waiting nervously for this moment.”

To prepare for the presentation that’s been talked about worldwide, she honed her English skills with the PyeongChang Olympic bid committee, consultant Terence Burns, and spokesperson Na, Seung-Yeon (Theresa Rah), for three weeks.  Even though competing as an athlete is also representing one’s country, because giving presentation was another thing, making time to prepare for it was only natural.

“It can be said that that was a long preparation time, but I didn’t run into much difficulty getting ready for it thanks to many of the dedicated people who were into helping me.  I repeatedly read the presentation script everyday.  Practicing after reading it many times naturally made me able to memorize everything.  It goes without saying that I had practiced speaking with correct accent/tone under the tutelage of Terence Burns as well as thoroughly practicing the simplest hand movements and even how to maintain eye contact.  I was extremely worried about making a mistake while giving the actual presentation because I was so nervous throughout the time I was preparing for it, but thankfully, the outcome seems to have come out as well as I had practiced it.  Hence, I’m satisfied with it.  Many people ask me about the presentation, but I think practicing until it comes out naturally is the only way you can strive for a great result.”

Kim Yuna the name that came to be by practice and effort

Sure enough, she sounds like the skater Kim Yuna who accomplishes many things perfectly.  At times, we fail to notice the challenges she had to overcome on her way to becoming the best figure skater in the world.  That may be so because she’s always shown us doing her best. However, she has been ceaselessly strengthening herself through practice after practice behind closed doors.  Just as she would get up from a fall to jump again in her effort to become a mistake-free skater, because she had also read her presentation script over and over again until it came out naturally, she was able to give an inspirational speech in front of numerous people from all over the world.  Anyone else would’ve become weary and found it difficult to take on so many different tasks by now, but skater Kim Yuna always has a smile on her face.  Could her smile be the work of an effort also?  We’ve become curious to find out if Kim Yuna, the person who secures success through effort, has her own way of releasing her stress.

“I don’t have a special solution.  My innate personality lets me rest well and I tend to forget my troubles after I wake up from my sleep.  That’s why I think I don’t get stressful that much.  My face wasn’t as bright looking when I was younger because I was much more introverted back then.  However, as I have had many different experiences under my belt as a skater performing many different characters and also the fact that I have had met many people from various backgrounds had a positive influence on me.  That’s how I got to smile a lot and I also would like to give out positive energy to other people by smiling like this.  Especially, to the young skaters who are still practicing in a difficult environment.”

The difference between skater Kim Yuna and others is that she not only is working hard for her own success, but she is also doing all that she can to popularize the sport of figure skating and broaden its base.  Even though, figure skating has become popular to our nation’s people through skater Kim Yuna, there’s still a long winding road ahead for young Korean skaters who dream of becoming world renowned athletes. Skater Kim Yuna who wishes that the next generation of skaters could get trained in a better environment never withholds giving them advice.

“Whatever one does, obstacles are bound to unexpectedly appear at different points in time.  Because I think the important thing for one to do then is not crying over the difficulty he or she faces by asking, ‘Why is this happening to me?,’ but rather focusing on how to break down the barrier that gets in their way, I talk about these things to young skaters a lot.  Figure skaters especially are forced to think and worry a lot because they experience all kinds of injuries when their physical forms change as they grow.  I would like to tell them never to quit or retire even though they may feel like hanging up their skates right then and there.  Because such adversity is a growing pain that not just me, but every athlete goes through, determining who wins or loses depends on who was able to endure it the best.  I would love to see our country develop into a figure skating powerhouse as young skaters continue to get trained always having the positive mindset.”

Kim Yuna said that 80% of the key things that has helped her become a big success was her confidence.  That means it wasn’t the practice or even the effort that has made Kim Yuna who she is today, but it was her confidence.  “If I didn’t have my confidence, the person I am now would not have existed.  I believe because I had the confidence and an unrelenting attitude, I was able to show my all in the actual settings as much as I had practiced them.  I would like to continue to remain as an athlete who performs with confidence and unrelenting attitude through which people can be inspired by.  I think a skater winning by giving out good performances can either be remembered as one of the many gold medallists or fade out in people’s memory, but the skater who leaves deep impression on people with his/her performances whether he/she wins a medal or not will be etched forever in people’s hearts.  I would like to be long remembered as a skater who gave the kind of performances that would make indelible marks in people’s hearts, the one who inspired people.”

The interview was wrapped up with our old friend talking to us about her future dream as the last topic of our conversation.  KB and skater Kim Yuna… In 2006, when a figure skater that was representing a nation that was barren of figure skating had just grabbed the Junior World Championships title, we began having a business partnership when we had decided to sponsor her despite figure skating being an unpopular field of sports because we already foresaw a very promising future ahead of her.  That’s how it started out with trust and we were able to detect an unchanging faith in each other through the conversation we didn’t get to engage in for a long time.

We are going to continuously try our hardest to make the best of ourselves for each other that way and because today where she gives her all exists, Kim Yuna’s tomorrow will remain unrelenting.

Written by Lee, Ja-Young, Photography by Choi, Choong-Shik, Assisted by Hong, Hwa-Shin.