German Eurosport

Original Translation from German to Korean by Feverskating (Translators: “Aslan” and “frauri”?)

English translation by Realdeal

Additional translation and corrections by over the rainbow

From German Eurosport - 2010 Vancouver Olympics

Commentators: Hendryk Schamberger and Sigi Heinrich

☞ Video

(Yuna takes on to the ice as the PA introduces her)

Sigi: “Dear viewers, here comes a prodigy (Wunderkind) from South Korea as she takes on the ice. Kim..Yeon..Ah, this is the correct pronunciation of her name. We know of a colleague who told us how to say her name properly and that’s why we can pronounce her name correctly. Brian Orser is her coach and she is leading by a big margin after the Short Program. She won every event in this season so far; she had a bit of difficulty in Grand Prix Final, but she overcame and clinched the title.”

(Yuna is ready to go and the music starts)

Sigi: “You are about to witness a great Olympic moment with Kim..Yeon..Ah..from South Korea.”

(Yuna ends her routine and the crowd roars)

Sigi: “Dear viewers…this very moment is one of the greatest moments in the figure skating history…like a butterfly flying into the ice hall so softly and tender that she barely touched the ice. This was a dream performance in the Pacific Coliseum…an absolutely dream performance. Not even a slightest insecurity or a tiny blemish could be found. What a wondrous program! She has executed every single difficult element so easily. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Hendryk: “That’s right. This is unprecedented. If you want to see this performance again because you thought it was so beautiful, no problem! This performance will be recorded and remembered for a long time in history. Not only we are going to re-watch this performance, we are probably going to see this again and again as many as 10 times. This was a kind performance that took place from the next century. And, since the beginning of the World Championships, she could be the first woman to contend for medals in Men’s Single event.”

Sigi: “We have already witnessed many great moments in Olympic figure skating. But from the point of the athletic valence and her appearance, this moment is the one that will become longest lasting, that we will never witness one more time. She is performing in her own dimension and is a league of her own. Kim..Yeon..Ah from South Korea! Dear viewers, she makes anyone to shout out in ecstasy! Her jumps look SO SO light! Like a painter uses a brush to create a powerful and impressive painting but you can barely see the traces of those brush strokes. There are no superlatives to describe this young lady! I can’t find even a TINY thing to fault! I’m expecting a new world record and monstrous score!”

Hendryk: “Yes, absolutely. In addition, what impressed me was when she jumped her final Lutz, Brian Orser also leaped together with her behind the boards. He knows that he finally will get that gold meal which he narrowly lost to Brian Boitano in Calgary Olympics.”

Sigi: “Dear viewers, the athlete you are watching now is the gold medalist. Kim..Yeon..Ah from South Korea.”

(The score is announced)

Sigi: “150.06…1…THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!” (It’s likely that Sigi believed for a second that Yuna got 150.06 as for the total score)

Hendryk: (Hendryk knows better and tries to calm down Sigi) “Yes, yes! It's all right!”

Sigi: “150.06 points?! Only for the Free Skate?!! OH MY GOODNESS!”

Hendryk: “It could be total point for any other…” (Hendryk is unable to finish as Sigi interrupts him)

Sigi: “The total score of 228.56! She has destroyed every record she had previously owned!!! UNBELIEVABLE!”

(End of the clip)

☞ Video

(Yuna is at the boards with Orser before taking on to the ice)

Sigi: “Now, it’s Kim Yuna’s turn. This is Brian Orser. She’s the reigning world champion and she’s been undefeated so far. There must be a lot of Koreans watching her in front of TV now. She is a great star in her home country.”

(The music starts)

(The music ends)

Sigi: “Couldn’t she become a ‘James Bond Lady’ someday?” (laughter)

Hendryk: (laughter) “Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

Sigi: “That could be her another career, you know. I can imagine a picture of her side-by-side with Daniel Craig. I’m sure she is going to look great in that picture. Kim..Yeon..Ah. Anyways, the pressing matter now is the result. I thought she was better than Mao Asada. Was she really better? Is there something missing in this program?”

Hendryk: “This is how I see the situation: Mao Asada has thrown down the glove by executing 3A combination—the most difficult known combination. Kim Yeon-Ah has accepted that challenge and has shown that Mao won't be able to beat her; at least, in the Short Program, she will never allow that to happen. She controls her own destiny. If she fails, the opportunity goes to the others; if she doesn’t make mistakes, it’s going to be impossible for someone to defeat her.”

Sigi: “Why is that?”

Hendryk: “In short, it's the matter of difference in presentation. And there is a huge difference between these two. Kim Yeon-Ah is a mature woman who knows how to move her body and she doesn’t concentrate only on the jumps. Mao Asada is an excellent jumper and the world best when it comes to Axel… BUT, as we have discussed in the Men’s Single, 3A isn’t everything; especially, it doesn’t make big differences in points in the Short Program. I’ve already explained that. If it were allowed to do triple Axel as a single jump instead of double Axel in SP, there would be about 5 point difference between 2A and 3A. For that case, Kim Yeon-Ah should have added extra elements to the program components to overcome that difference. BUT, there is almost no difference between 3Lz-3T and 3A-2T…”

Sigi: “Dear viewers, please bear this info in mind. For these reasons, this is going to be an interesting fight between Mao Asada, Yuna Kim, and Miki Ando who hasn’t skated yet. We all believe Kim Yeon-Ah will lead in the Short Program. The question is how much point difference there will be.”

Hendryk: “They are going to put a limit on this. The Japanese skater had a clean performance. Perhaps, 5 points?”

(Yuna’s SP score is announced)

Sigi: “Wow, I couldn't think of this! 78.50! Incredible! This is really incredible! Hendryk, could you give us a quick explanation?”

Hendryk: “Sure. First, she made the difference of 2 points in the combination jump. Her 3-3 combination has earned 12 points…”

(End of the clip)

http://yunaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1994

(Yuna steps onto the ice)

Sigi: Dear viewers, there have been many words to describe Yuna Kim but, now, there's only one left. The total fascination! A Wunderkind on the ice, for the first time, won the title that suits her. And that means: “the World Champion.”

(Yuna finishes the EX)

Sigi: The only hope her competitors can hold onto is that sometimes a genius can't be without mistake, not even in a Gala. But that’s to get over. Otherwise, as I've said during this world championship, in terms of PCS, she is soaringly outstanding to her competitors.

Hendryk: That's right. She possesses an unbelievable presence on the ice. And she pulls really off, despite all the difficult elements that she had to do, to feel her programs and interpret them appropriately.

Sigi: Usually, the gold medallists do an encore…

(The PA encourages the crowd to applaud her for an encore)

Sigi: The audience in L.A. seems very fair. There was such a thunderous applause when she finished her performance that the building wobbled. American fans must have realized that they became the witnesses of a great moment.

Hendryk: Yes, exactly. I have to refer American audience is of course an expert then Figure skating is popular in America. And this audience has exquisite feeling for a great moment regardless which nationality a skater has.

(Yuna does an encore from Danse Macabre)

Sigi: This would be an excerpt from the SP.

Hendryk: Yes.

(Yuna finishes her encore)

Sigi: Yuna Kim, the pearl of Korea. I dare to say, she seems to have been influenced more by her choreographer than her coach.

Hendryk: Absolutely. I think she already had technique. Before she moved to Canada, her techniques were almost complete. She's got just final touch from David Wilson. He is the ingenious brain behind the whole story.

Sigi: But on the other hand Brian Orser estimates the scope of works.

Hendryk: Yes, I wouldn’t say he hasn't done anything. His job is to coordinate, etc and to keep her in protection.

☞ Video

(Yuna steps onto the ice as the PA introduces her)

Sigi: In sport, there's always someone who accomplishes his job with absolutely exceptional ability. Such a talent stands for decades. In Golf there is Tiger Woods. In figure skating, one would say it’s Yu-Na Kim from South Korea. She performed yesterday the SP which will be going down in history of FS. If she can handle with somewhat strong nerves, no one can take her the first world title. She will no longer settle for bronze medals as she's done in the past two world championships. But I'd like to say this: how can anything go wrong for one with her quality?

(The music starts)

Sigi: The music is by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. She's training under Brian Orser.

(Yuna jumps 2A-3T)

Sigi: Ooooo! Double Axel, triple toe loop!

Hendryk: (She does it) Late in the program…added with the points from the SP, she already has widened the gap too much between her and the rest of the field. Will she close the door here?

(Yuna nails 3Lz)

Hendryk: Yes, now it's enough.

(Yuna begins her spirals)

Hendryk: She herself knows it. We can see it at her smile, at her face. Maybe she's done the calculation inside her head?

(Yuna makes a mistake on 3S)

Hendryk: Oh, she makes an unexpected mistake here. Now she has to lose some points from her edge. I didn’t mean that she doesn't need any more points.

He says the last sentece as if his statement had influenced Yuna negative and therefore he should have apologize for Yunas mistake.

(The music ends)

Sigi: Here she is, dear viewers! The new World Champion! Although one faux pas at ax.. at Salchow happend , that’s nothing to speak of. As my dear college already mentioned she will have an overwhelming PCS than others.

Hendryk: Yes.

Sigi: Please say us more about that!

Hendryk: Sure. Here is the key point: Her program was, compared to the other candidates of medals, far and away the best. She takes time to interpret music, and pays attention to small nuances of music. Everything was just fantastic.

Sigi: For me the audience in staple center is top and fair ! What a big applause and warmth the audience gives to Yu-Na Kim! We are now in the U.S.A. Not only the Korean fraction, not only her fans that came to see her but also everyone in the ice rink realized that they are now watching someone who would dominate the figure skating world for a long time. Maybe this gold medal could be the beginning of series of golds she can get. Just for the record, it's too early to say this but she is the big favourite to win the OGM in Vancouver. Let us calculate her score: if she were successful with Salchow, she would've earned additional 4 points. But, she's already netted in 62-63 points…

Hendryk: Ah, you mean the technical score, right?

Sigi: Yes. But even if she made a mistake, nobody has a chance against her. Her SP has proved it impressive. You can never forget the SP like that one any more. That was amazing and history-charged. Just imagine: what a programm this LP could have been without the mistake with Salchow ! Based on what I see of her magnificent 2A, I can imagine her doing 3A.

Hendryk: She has already attempted that before.

Sigi: Yes.

Hendryk: Um…but she didn't have a big confidence in 3A unlike Mao Asada…And, she does not need it anyway.

Sigi: She can afford to abandon some things. Inspite of all she is the best figure skater in the world. We can already anticpate it because simply it can be nothing else, because it can't going otherwise than this fact. Look at that score! 68.40 (PCS)!

Hendryk: She became the first woman to break 200 points mark. No lady has gotten over 200 before…wow, the total score is 207…

Sigi: Unbelievable!

Hendryk: This is the highest score ever.

Sigi: She's written another history.

Hendryk: Yes, exactly.

Sigi: She sets a world record under the new judging system, earns over 200 points, and wins the gold medal. Here is the bright star of future.

Hendryk: Of course.

☞ Video

Sigi: The next is Yu-Na Kim from Korea. Many experts predict her as a very strong contender to win. (Sigi exhales as if he is nervous…) The only competition she lost was the Grand Prix Final, of all things in her home country against Mao Asada.

(Yuna does her 3F-3T)

Hendryk: That was really…a perfect 3-3 combination. No need to discuss about it.

(Yuna does her layback spin)

Hendryk: She should get over 70 points if she continues to keep doing like this.

Sigi: She is now working towards her first World title by building a firm foothold and to take the lead (in the SP).

(The music ends)

Sigi: Everyone is jumping up from their seats! It doesn’t matter whether they are Koreans or not! As we’ve always told you, figure skating fans know to appreciate such a moment! This is absolutely the best short program ever performed in last years! And that was a perfect performance by Yu-Na Kim. She has established a strong foothold to clinch the world title. And, ultimately, this was a kind of performance that does not require a further discussion because it was superior. Superior to any other program we’ve seen today.

Hendryk: Yes.

Sigi: By far…superior…

Hendryk: I think so, too. She should be able to get over 74.

Sigi: I tell you again…this was a very, very great performance. No shaky elements were there. Everything was embossed with elegance, aplomb and enormous presence on the ice. As I told you before, Brian Orser knows, with her, he will mark his name in the figure skating scenery.

Hendryk: Yes.

Sigi: When you coach somebody who is like a jewel, you can sparkle in company too.

Hendryk: He had a reputation as a skater but not exactly as a coach. He must be having a lot of fun as a coach of someone so extraordinary.

Sigi: The first 3-3 combination…its height and trajectory…Lutz was so beautiful, too.

Hendryk: She is genuinely radiating the inside of herself. If I compare her from the both last season, the difference I see is that she uncoiled her program a little introvert. But now she is really young lady…a selfconfident young lady on the ice.

Sigi: Although you could interpret that as a natural growth process. She burst as 16-old into the wide world of figure skating from South Korea. She entered the stage modest in the beginning then during 2-3 years she went around. Now a small province-girl becomes a young lady who is well-versed in this global world. She certainly has grown and improved a lot.

Hendryk: Yes.

Sigi: Yes. And people now see evidently the difference at her.

(The score is announced)

(Sigi shouts out aloud something unintelligible This is snappy! and Hendryk’s words are buried by Sigi’s loud voice)

Sigi: UNBELIEVABLE! Ha, this is a world record!

Hendryk: That’s right.

Sigi: I told you that this was the best Short Program ever! And her score proves it clearly.

Hendryk: Super. And this was not at all less than she deserved. But nor more than deserved either.

Sigi: Her performance was the highlight of today. The remaining two skaters must be also expecting good results but this was definitely the highlight of this ladies completion in the Short Program. And it wasn’t just a small step toward her first world title but a huge, huge step… Yuna Kim wears seven-league boots. (He exhales in amazement)…that was really a “wow” performance!

Hendryk: Yes. It was so good that she could compete in the Men’s Single and she's possibly the only woman who can do that. She would’ve placed in the 7th.

Sigi: (Sigi guffaws because he seems to be amused by Hendryk’s rather detailed analogy) That’s a cute comparison. I've never thought of making a comparison like that.

☞ Video

( Korean subtitle translation by SquallB @ YNKF)

S: (as Yuna enters the ice) “Here she is. She is only 16 years old.”

S: (Yuna's opening 3/3) “Beautiful. That is almost unbelievable.”

S: (0:53) “Oh. Little shaky there.”

S: (2:46) “That was a tremendous axel!”

S: (After finish): “Japanese fans are very knowledgeable about technics, but they also appreciate artistry. And this girl from Korea, has not only set the standard in this World Championships, but she will be the golden standard in figure skating for years to come.”

H: “Yes, definitely. The quality of her jumps are excellent - they are much better that Carolina Kostner's. They are much better than Kimmie Messiner's. And when entering her triple-triple combo, she goes in without hesitation, with 100% confidence. Really unbelievable.”

S: “Such a fantastic program. So expressive and yet so easy to watch. Every element is there and comes together perfectly. She really has it all. Yu-Na Kim.”

H: “Look at that 3-3 and the triple toe-loop. Not many female skaters can do that.”

S: “Her second combination jump appears to have even higher altitude than her first!”

S: “You see, in her case, her jumps are not separate elements outside of her program. But they are like part of her program that builds the entire program. And to finish with ina bauer leading to a double axel with combination with steps!”

H: “Yeap. Elements are spread out nicely throughout the 2minute and 50 second program. She doesn't frontload her jumps, but they are separated nicely between beginning, middle and the end. Her lutz jump is preceded by spins and other elements, and her courage to put her axel at the very end. That's impressive. That shows how confident she is about her program, and how consistent she is. And to do an ina bauer leading in her double axel, that is so difficult. This is her first World Championship but her jumps look so confident. She is only 16 years old, and this is her first ever World Championships, but watching her, you would think that she is skater who did 5 or 6 World Championships. But no, this is her first. What an amazing debut!”

S: “I think she can even place 1st. Yes, thinking realistically, this can really happen. We have never seen a debut like this. Debuting at such a level!”

H: “Well, she is definitely at least 2nd, and I think it is possible for her to be 1st. Really, compared to Carolina Kostner, she is every bit as good, if not better.”

(score is announced)

S: “Oh my!!! 41.49!!! Everyone, that is an unbelievably high technical score! Really unbelievable.”

S: “This is a crazy score. This is the best score, and everyone, this is the score that we have never seen. This is a WORLD RECORD. 71.95. World Record. OH MAN!! What an unbelievable debut!”

S: ”(panting) Just incredible.”

S: “71.95. That is 4.5 points ahead of Kostner!”

☞ Video

Korean subtitle translation by Realdeal (YNKF, Edited by over the rainbow (YNKF)

Sigi: Both of us were convinced by the time her Long Program went past the 2-minute mark…Here she is: the new world champion. Poised, amazing and wonderful! Flawless and perfekt…and then she suddenly had two falls. Hendryk, she never has had a single fall up to that point.

Hendryk: She occasionally doubled planned triples or made mistakes but I've never seen her falling like that.

Sigi: There's now more possibility open for others than we expected. Miki Ando now has a chance, perhaps, Kimmie Meisner, and even Mao Asada. Everything's not written on a stone yet, though. But something's unusual. Maybe we should just take this as something human. She's only 16 and this is her first world championship. Her debut was totally incredible and maybe too much was expected from her. But, of course, the beginning 3F-3T combination was fantastic.

Hendryk: I still stick to that she is the best skater of all time. She showed us the best SP of all the times yesterday but, today, she regrettably couldn't continue to perform the best FP of all the times and even allowed opportunities to other skaters. We are now watching her lutz jumps on screen; she should have prepared and set up jump entry moves more quickly before taking off. Yes, she must be little disappointed. The 2nd placed is Miki Ando who has to fight with her nerves most precariously. Now she has chance because of the falls. And even Mao will be getting an opportunity for the title as well.

Sigi: Mao Asada is another great 16-year-old skater but I agree certainly with Hendryk Yuna Kim is undoubtedly the best of all who’s existed ever, she is endowed with everything a skater must have. Her combination jumps are absolutely fantastic! But what pleased me incredibly, was her 2A-3T combination, her 2A itself out of steps is so airy, effortless and amazing. Only few can do such an axel. But that's not all. Her skating skills, and her charisma appears very well developed for a 16-year-old.

Hendryk: That’s the most astonishing fact for me. Actually, jump prodigies who display unbelievable stuffs as 16-years-old have appeared continuously but never there has been anybody who has showed with sixteen this unbelievable maturity and presented the program in a way that can not be done better. Really, this is just astonishing. So this must be hard. The judges will have hard time scoring this. She had two falls and there will be 2 points deductions for that. She has big lead. The next skater Miki Ando is four points behind and has a combination jump planned in the beginning of the program.

Sigi: Nobody has done 3-3 combination or 2A-3T so far so I believe she will be able to earn some points.

Hendryk: There are a lot of elements to earn points but she will get 2 points deductions for the falls. She will get -3 (GOEs) for the jumps. Yes, she will of course get deductions for the falls. But I have to repeat again what I've said earlier that she's already 10 points ahead of Mao Asada and we don't even have to mention Kostner. And 6.5 points ahead of Kimmie Meisner. Miki Ando has the best opportunity but the problem is she could get nervous.

Sigi: But maybe not today since this is Tokyo–her home ground. This is a good environment for the Asian skaters because there's very little time difference for jet lags. The world championship this year is held in Asia where the sport is very popular.

(The score is announced)

Sigi: That’s too little That’s too little (when considering her deserved scores)… Her technical score is only 54 points. PCS is good.

Hendryk: Compared to Joannie Rochette who had the best technical score of 58 and 2 points deductions, this was absolutely the best Long Program but now Ando and Meisner both will have an opportunity.