Figure skater Kim recovers from injury, ready to compete

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top figure skater, Kim Yu-na, said Friday she has recovered from her chronic hip injury and will be ready for an upcoming international competition in her home country.

"The hip injury that troubled me last season has gone completely, and there
is no pain in the back," the 18-year-old was quoted as saying by her agency,
IB Sport.

Kim, who defended her Grand Prix Final women's figure skating title last year in
Italy, fell short of the gold medal at the world championships in March, dogged
by a persistent hip injury.

She will seek to defend her Grand Prix Final title once again in December when
the competition is scheduled to be held in Seoul.

"Among others, I feel I'm in great shape and I have prepared a new
program," she was quoted as saying. "I'm focusing on perfecting the
program, and the preparation is up to about 80 percent now."

Kim is one of the most highly sought-after figures in her country and also the
most favored South Korean to win a medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics. She holds
the highest scores for both short and long programs under new judging guidelines
by the International Skating Union.

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