Queen Yuna

Renowned figure skater Yuna Kim graces the ice (Katherine Zhao, Artist)

By Katherine Young, Columnist

This year’s Olympic Games held in Tokyo holds opportunities for athletes all around the world to showcase their abilities, while also cultivating a sense of community within multiple nations. As new athletes are recognized, it is important to also take note of those who came before, and their lasting effects on the sports industry. A prime example being South Korea’s Yuna Kim. 

Also known in the sport’s world as “Queen Yuna”, Yuna Kim is a retired figure skater. Born on September 5th, 1990, in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Kim started skating at a young age. Her talent and skill grew as she did, and she joined the national team as a teenager. She would go on to win multiple ISU (International Skating Union) Grand Prix competitions and World Championships at the junior level.

At the senior level, Kim went on to place high in competitions and won the Cup of China and the Cup of Russia during the 2007-2008 season. She also holds the title for 3 Grand Prix Championships along with 2 World Championships. In 2009, she became the first female skater to earn more than 200 points with a score of 207.71. This was only the beginning of her accomplishments.

Representing the Republic of Korea, Kim attended the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Unsurprisingly, she won gold. Thus earning the title not only for herself but for South Korea, since this was the country’s first gold medal in the figure skating category. Her score of 228.56 points even broke her own world record, a score no one has been able to surpass to this day. 

Four years later, Kim competed again at the 2014 Sochi Games. There, she won the silver medal. An impressive yet controversial feat, since many say she deserved to win the gold. Soon after, she announced her retirement from competitions. However, that was not her last Olympic appearance, as she was chosen to light the cauldron in the 2018 PyeongChang opening ceremony. A job that accurately represented both her influence and reverence in Korea.

Kim’s legacy did not end there. She became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and following her skating career, she continued to work with UNICEF and the UN on global humanitarian issues. She has been an advocate for relief efforts in multiple countries including Haiti, Japan, and the Philippines, and has donated over $100,000 to Haitian and Japanese earthquake victims. Kim has also helped foster education for young aspiring figure skaters by giving out scholarships. 

Watch any one of Yuna Kim’s performances and you will witness her elegance and effortless talent. She is an inspiration to Olympians and fans across the globe: a symbol of the capacity that women, especially women of color, have to thrive. It is essential to acknowledge the achievements of athletes like Kim and recognize their widespread impact on not only their respective sports, but the social issues that they have helped mitigate. Arguably one of the greatest figure skaters in history, Kim has left an indelible mark on the world. 

Sources

Carr, F. (2021, April 29). Yuna Kim: 5 Things to Know About Olympic Cauldron Lighter. Time. www.time.com/5141402/yuna-kim-olympics-2018/.    

DiGiacomo, Paul. \”Kim Yuna\”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Sep. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Kim-Yu-Na.  

Hersh, P. (2020, February 24). Yuna Kim remains a sports immortal – OlympicTalk: NBC Sports. OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. www.olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/02/25/yuna-kim-vancouver-2010/.  

Look to the Stars. (n.d.). Yuna Kim: Charity Work & Causes. Look to the Stars. www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/yuna-kim.  

Macur, J. (2009, March 29). Kim Sets a Skating Record and Wins Her First World Title. The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/sports/othersports/29women.html.  

Olympic Channel Services. (n.d.). KIM Yuna. Olympics.com. www.olympics.com/en/athletes/yuna-kim.  

Seelinger, L. (2018, February 9). Who Is Yuna Kim? The South Korean Figure Skater Is Lovingly Referred To As \”Queen\”. Bustle. www.bustle.com/p/who-is-yuna-kim-the-south-korean-figure-skater-is-lovingly-referred-to-as-queen-8173739.