Hello, world, and welcome to Olympic Winter Games Daily.
My name is Daum Kim, I'm here in Zhangjaikou.
And earlier I had a chance to talk
with the Olympic champion
and a legend in Ladies Figure Skating,
yes, folks, it's Yuna Kim.
Hi, everyone, I'm Yuna Kim, and I represented
Republic of Korea in figure skating.
I participated in Vancouver 2010
and Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.
I'm sure many of the fans are curious about this.
Tell us a bit about what is keeping you busy now.
What are the passion projects that you've been working on?
Due to COVID-19, I'm not as active as I was before.
But first one of the most important tasks
is working on the upcoming Youth Olympic Games
at Gangwon in 2024,
which happens after the Beijing Olympics.
So I will be involved in that,
and also I will continue working
on other external activities
that I'm involved in.
I did see a picture recently.
Seeing the young stars with dazzling eyes
learning from you was really touching.
Yes, it's been a while.
Actually, I haven't really got a chance to skate
with junior athletes who are that young.
They looked lost in the beginning
but after a little while, they skate freely,
which is really cute.
You competed at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014,
and became the final torchbearer as well
as the ambassador for PyeongChang 2018.
Finally, you will be able to enjoy Beijing 2022 as a fan.
How do you feel to wait for the Olympic Winter Games
as a fan this time?
I participated in the Olympics twice as an athlete,
and once as an ambassador in PyeongChang.
As I was preparing for the Olympics as an athlete,
there were many small and big waves of challenges,
and for me, there were more difficulties than anything.
Throughout this process, I encountered
a variety of emotions,
anxiety, and fears.
All the efforts paid off in the end,
but if I think about the process,
I will encounter more hardships,
more happiness from now.
And I feel like all of these processes
are connoted in my Olympics journey.
So even as I live the second chapter of my life,
I feel that these accumulated years of practice
will help me to stay resilient as I surf through my life.
I faced that big challenge, yet overcame it,
then no matter what kind of new events occur,
I can conquer anything.
The Olympics gave me that confidence.
For me, Olympics is my life itself.
That's the meaning it holds.
You will be able to enjoy Beijing 2022 as a spectator.
How does that feel?
When I was young, when I just started figure skating,
I discovered Olympics
by watching Nagano 1998.
At that time, I didn't know what the Olympics was,
I just saw the big international athletes
standing on this big stage,
and said, "Wow, that's cool! I want to be there."
It was just a vague dream I had in my heart.
And as I trained as an athlete,
and as I staged up from a junior
to a senior athlete,
I started to feel the weight of Olympics
that the athletes have.
I finally realised what Olympics mean to the athletes.
And now that I have gone
through the experience myself...
..the vivid memories of the Olympics atmosphere,
unseen tensions between the coaches and the athletes,
the feeling of the spectators holding their breath
right when I'm on the ice...
Since I've been there, even if I watch it on TV,
it doesn't feel
like it's somebody else's experience.
It feels like I am there with them,
feeling the atmosphere,
getting nervous together.
Thus I will be cheering with my heart,
being in their shoes.
Could you talk about how your life changed
after becoming Olympic champion?
The biggest difference is
the pride I have towards myself
from achieving and overcoming.
That's the biggest pride.
When I was an athlete,
I questioned myself, "Can I really do this?"
and wanted to give up,
but I succeeded after all those obstacles.
Thus having this sense of self-pride is my biggest gain.
And like what I mentioned earlier,
as I live my life, I have a mindset
that "I achieved such difficult task."
I have the strength in me
to ask whenever I face a challenge,
"Will there be anything tougher than that?"
To that extent, I gained the courage
to overcome anything.
Last but not least,
any final message to your global fans?
I'm no longer an athlete
and it's been a while since I retired,
yet thank you for remembering me to this day
and still watching my performances
from time to time.
Although I was once an active Olympian,
please send your cheers
to the figure skaters now and ahead.
The men's downhill in the alpine event.
FRITZ STROBL SALT LAKE CITY 2002
DIDIER DEFAGO VANCOUVER 2010
Number 7, Aksel Lund Svindal,
the most decorated Norwegian downhiller
in World Cup history.
Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway
leads the Olympic downhill!
What a hero!
Thank you for this lovely chat, Yuna.
And for our fans out there,
join us again tomorrow on Olympic Winter Games Daily.