Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-Na said Monday she will return to competition with the aim of skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the Korea Times reported.
Kim, 21, has not competed in over a year and has reportedly spent her time studying, skating in shows and as an ambassador for the South Korean city of Pyeongchang’s successful bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Her gold medal-winning Olympic scores, set in Vancouver in 2010, remain women’s records, but Kim said she would now set her sights lower.
"My mindset won't necessarily be, 'I've got to do well as the defending Olympic champion.' I just want to give my best. Just returning to the Olympics will be great.”
Kim’s Olympic success almost proved fatal to her career, she said.
"After Vancouver, I couldn't find a bigger goal for myself as a figure skater, but expectations from fans kept growing. I was really burdened by them all.”
Kim’s success on the ice made her one of South Korea’s biggest celebrities, with numerous advertising contracts and intense media coverage.
