Queen Kim vows return after poor short program

TURIN, Italy – Olympic champion Kim Yu-na is putting the poor short program behind her as she seeks to defend her title at the world figure skating championships on Saturday.

Kim, whose Olympic performance a month ago was dazzling, stunned admirers with her error-ridden short on Friday. After a strong triple-triple jump, she underrotated a triple flip, was unable to recover to do a spin, and fell out of a spiral, finishing in seventh place.

“I’ve made mistakes at other competitions. I have the experience so I’ll weather through this one, too,” Kim told South Korean media.

Mirai Nagasu of the United States is first going into the free program in the championship’s final event, putting enormous pressure on the 16-year-old who finished fourth at the Vancouver Games. Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada of Japan is second and Laura Lepisto of Finland third.

The point-rich free program gives Kim lots of room to redeem herself and defend her title. Just 10 points separate her from Nagasu, and at the Olympics, Kim’s free won her 24 points more than Nagasu.

The 19-year-old Kim, revered in South Korea as “Queen Yu-na,” said she was still “floundered” by the mistakes.

“I felt good but my second jump was shaky and so was the rest of the layback, spiral, and step,” Kim told South Korean reporters. “The part on my left that I step on shook so much. I still don’t know why that happened.

“I wasn’t in pain anywhere but I think my legs were shaky, especially when I stepped on my left.”

The world championships after an Olympics are always a tough assignment for the best skaters – and probably especially so for the champions.

While the men’s Olympic gold-medal winner Evan Lysacek opted out of the worlds, taking advantage of the many opportunities afforded an Olympic champion, Kim decided she wanted to defend her title. But she acknowledged that she had trouble refocusing on training in the short month since winning Olympic gold. (AP)