Yuna Kim

Yuna Kim, is a South Korean retired competitive figure skater.

Ryu Jong-hyun, a former ice dancer, coached Kim between the ages of 7 and 10 and Shin Hea-sook, who competed for South Korea at the 1980 Olympics, coached Kim between the ages of 10 and 12 years old.

Kim later said that Ryu and Shin both helped her, from the start of her skating career, to become who she was both technically and spiritually.

Ryu suggested to Kim's mother, who noticed early on that there was something special about her daughter's skating, that Kim receive formal training in figure skating.

Kim was born on September 5, 1990, in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, in the northern part of the country, to Kim Hyeon-seok, a business owner, and Park Mi-hee.

She has one older sister.

Her mother, whom The Korea Times called "indisputably the No. 1 contributor to Kim's phenomenal success", took an active role in her daughter's skating career from the beginning, driving her to the ice rink each day, attending all of her practices, and acting as her coach, manager, spokesperson, and mentor.

She played English cassette tapes in the car to help Kim improve her English-language skills.

Kim's family often struggled to fund her skating expenses; when her father's business was not doing well enough to pay for her lessons, they put up their house as collateral for a bank loan.

She has broken world record scores 11 times under the ISU Judging System since 2007, eight of which being records she herself set.

She is also the first female skater to surpass the 150-point free skating mark and the 200-point and 220-point total mark, as well as the first and only female figure skater to have never finished off the podium in her entire career.

Due to her strong artistry, musicality, skating skills, mental strength, and solid and consistent competitive record, she is regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.

She is also noted for her rivalry with three-time World champion Mao Asada from Japan.

In 2007, she named Brian Joubert, Stéphane Lambiel, and Tomáš Verner as a few of her favorite contemporary male skaters.

She is also a six-time World Championships Medalist with Gold in (2009, 2013), Silver in (2010, 2011) and Bronze in (2007, 2008).

Her other titles on the senior circuit include Gold at the 2009 Four Continents Championships and Gold at three Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals.

She is also the first figure skater ever, male or female, to complete a Super Slam, having won every major junior and senior competition, never placing off the podium in her entire competitive career, novice to senior, and is regarded as one of the greatest ladies figure skaters of all time.

Kim is the first South Korean figure skater to win a medal at an ISU Junior Grand Prix or ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the Olympic Games.

She is the first female skater ever to win every major international competition, namely, the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the Four Continents Championships, and the Grand Prix Final.

She is one of the most highly recognized athletes and media figures in South Korea.

As a result of her numerous accomplishments and popularity, she is frequently referred to as "Queen Yuna".

She is the former record holder for ladies in the short program, free skate and combined total under the ISU Judging System.

In 2009, she said that Sasha Cohen was one of her favorite skaters.

Kim went to Dojang Middle School, though she stopped attending classes after joining the national team, and later Suri High School in Gunpo.

She is the 2010 Olympic Champion, with Gold at the 2010 Olympics.

She was included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 of World's Most Influential People in 2010 and in several Forbes lists.

In 2010, Philip Hersh reported that when Kim was 7 years old, her family struggled to pay for her skating lessons.

Kim's father chose to remain out of media attention, choosing to watch her skate on television along with her sister instead of accompanying Kim to international competitions.

Both her parents, however, attended the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Kim credited both parents with her success as a figure skater.

She cited U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan as one of her early influences.

She graduated from Korea University (KU) in 2013 with a degree in Physical Education.

She was initially attracted to KU because she wanted to attend a college that would understand and accommodate her needs as an athlete, which included taking a year off to compete in the Olympics, and because of their sports facilities, which included an ice rink.

The correct transliteration of her name, 김연아, is "Kim Yeon-a".

However, when Kim applied for her passport, the official miswrote her name as "Yu-na", which is written as "유나" rather than "연아".

She has requested that the media refer to her as "Yuna Kim" instead of "Kim Yu-na".

Kim began skating at the age of five, at a neighborhood rink with her sister.

After she retired from figure skating in 2014, Kim was instrumental in the successful bid to bring the 2018 Winter Olympics to Pyeongchang.

She also had a successful professional skating career, producing and appearing in several skating shows.

Due to her sponsorships, Kim was one of highest-paid athletes in South Korea, well into her retirement.