If Yu Na Kims wins 2nd Olympic Gold at 2014 Olympics would she be best ever?

[AxelAnnie]

If Yu-Na wins Oly Gold in Sochi she will join a very elite group of skaters to have won two Gold Medals at the Olympics. As to the best ever...............nope. Love her. But The Best Ever? I join those who say there is no way to select that . Don't even know how you would begin to judge.

[riveredge]

I wonder if the OP is a Mao fan in disguise, trying to send out jinx vibrations through the universe to Yuna.

Lol. The the only reason why this thread exist is because it will jinx yuna's comeback even more. After all i know many people are praying and hoping that she will bomb.

And there's no such thing as the best ever. Different set of rules. Different competitors. Different era.

[spikydurian]

IF I am Yuna, my thinking will be .....
Who cares whether my programs are the best or worst ever; or that I win by 20 points or a mere 0.01 point. A GOLD is a GOLD. It is all that matters.

[lowtherlore]

True, Yu Na fans calling her Queen is no different than Kwan fans calling Kwan the Kween as far as I can see. The sport definitely needs more hype in North America right now, the sport is near dead her it seems, but I think only a big North American skating star who appeals to the public, which neither Lysacek or Chan seem to, will solve that problem. If Wagner or Gold can become a big star on the coming years it might be what does it.

I like the name “Kween”. It reads cool and sensible.

The notion that the Korean public or the fans generally call Yu-Na as the “queen” is misconception. I’ve never seen anybody calling her “Queen Yu-Na” in real conversation. It’s true the Korean media usually refer to her as “figure skating queen Kim Yu-Na” in the opening statement of their reports. But it’s not much different from foreign media addressing her as “Korean skating star” or “Korean skating queen” in the beginning of their articles. The Korean media began calling her “the skating queen” after the 2008-9 season, when she spent the whole season healthy and won the WC. I also remember NBC’s Universal Sports headlining her WC win with the phrase “Long Live the Queen”, a year earlier than the exclamation made by Tom Hammond at Vancouver. It’s just a clichéd definer used by the media, I think. Anyway, Yu-Na herself seems not fond of being called the “queen”. She said in an interview after the NRW that she feels rather embarrassed with it.

The nickname given to her by the fans earlier was “Iron Butterfly” during 2006-7, IIRC. “Iron” was not to mean she’s physically superhuman, but to refer to her strong will to skate through injuries. I liked it, since it suited her situation then and conjured up multiple images (her LP of that season was the Lark Ascending). But it was never widely recognized or adopted by the Korean media at the time.

[giselle23]

I don't think Yu Na is or will be the best ever, even if she wins in Sochi. She will be among the best at the Olympics--only Sonia Henie and Katarina Witt have more than one Olympic gold in figure skating, if I am recalling correctly. I do think Yu Na is the second best ladies jumper, after Midori Ito and far and away the best at doing the triple-triple, not only well but also consistently.

[l'etoile]

I like the name “Kween”. It reads cool and sensible.

The notion that the Korean public or the fans generally call Yu-Na as the “queen” is misconception. I’ve never seen anybody calling her “Queen Yu-Na” in real conversation. It’s true the Korean media usually refer to her as “figure skating queen Kim Yu-Na” in the opening statement of their reports. But it’s not much different from foreign media addressing her as “Korean skating star” or “Korean skating queen” in the beginning of their articles. The Korean media began calling her “the skating queen” after the 2008-9 season, when she spent the whole season healthy and won the WC. I also remember NBC’s Universal Sports headlining her WC win with the phrase “Long Live the Queen”, a year earlier than the exclamation made by Tom Hammond at Vancouver. It’s just a clichéd definer used by the media, I think. Anyway, Yu-Na herself seems not fond of being called the “queen”. She said in an interview after the NRW that she feels rather embarrassed with it.

The nickname given to her by the fans earlier was “Iron Butterfly” during 2006-7, IIRC. “Iron” was not to mean she’s physically superhuman, but to refer to her strong will to skate through injuries. I liked it, since it suited her situation then and conjured up multiple images (her LP of that season was the Lark Ascending). But it was never widely recognized or adopted by the Korean media at the time.

Oh, I love this nickname! It's so like Yuna that she feels embarrassed about her being called "queen."

[escaflowne9282]

I agree most of it. However, Gordeeva-Grinkov are still considered the greatest pair ever. I know it will change eventually, but right now they still own the throne.

I know quite a few (myself included) who would consider the Protopopovs to be the greatest ever. Then there's R&Z who took no prisoners. IMHO both of their runs were more impressive than G&G

[Simone411]

To me, Yuna is already one of many great skaters that I love to watch and that I'm amazed by. It would be impossible for me to name one exact skater that is the greatest because there are so many that meet those qualifications in my book.

[sadya]

She'd be one of the best competitors ever, as Witt was, but not necessarily the best skater ever.

[os168]

Usually the best or the greatest can only be appreciated at least a few decades on to see if their legacy can really withstood the test of time. That is why the greatest film today is Citizen Kane (in the UK at at least), in the next 50 years? It might be something else.

Sometimes it could just comes down to sentimentality. Which is why Midori Ito will always be the best ever in Japan + beyond to those who appreciate jumping abilities the most (like many fans in China). Or that Kween is the best ever certainly in N. America who appreciate her overall package and a long illustrious career who boost skating sport front and center at the world's Superpower (and probably boost Asian female confidence so much all around the world). Or that Katarina Witt will always known as the European Queen for her competitiveness, edginess, her European sensuality, sophistication and passion to embrace her femininity and made female skating the premier event at the Olympics, titillation maybe but surely that makes her one of the original founders of 'girl power'. Great legacy shouldn't be defined by the wins alone, but also how they overcome losses, periods of difficulties, struggles, personal lows, including over come political adversities and roadblocks they each faces that are uniquely to each individuals circumstances.

The nickname given to her by the fans earlier was “Iron Butterfly” during 2006-7, IIRC. “Iron” was not to mean she’s physically superhuman, but to refer to her strong will to skate through injuries. I liked it, since it suited her situation then and conjured up multiple images (her LP of that season was the Lark Ascending). But it was never widely recognized or adopted by the Korean media at the time.

Interestingly "Iron Butterfly" is actually Chen Lu's nick in China which she is still commonly known today. I suspect it has more to do with The Butterfly Lovers program? Wonder when the nickname got stuck. Actually i wonder what other nicknames have been used for other skaters during different time in their career. All the bests seems to have them. What has been been Kurt's nickname during his days for example.

[bardtoob]

I know quite a few (myself included) who would consider the Protopopovs to be the greatest ever. Then there's R&Z who took no prisoners. IMHO both of their runs were more impressive than G&G

The whole notion of trying to rank three Pairs with 6 Olympic Gold Medals between and equally divided among them is ridiculous . . . and how do you rank their actual skating ability, potential, etc.

Could one actually say that the Rodnina of 1973 could not be transported to 2012 and within a few months start winning?

Protopopovs were doing one-handed lifts in their 50s.

Gordeeva and Grinkov got bored with amateur skating competition, left, then came back to win another OGM.

[dots]

lol

The answer is no!


I don't expect her to win the Sochi Olympics.

[Sasha'sSpins]

Best of her era. She would tie Katarina Witt for back-to-back wins but still be behind Sonja Henie who is the only woman to win three Olympic gold medals in Ladie's singles-and Henie won many more World Championships.

[doubleflutz]

I think it would cement her as one of the best competitors ever, even maybe ahead of Katarina, who did have figures muckery and the Kommunist Bloc behind her, which is way more of an advantage even than reputation-based PCS (which I think Yuna does get very often). In terms of best ever as an overall "complete" skater,especially in terms of aesthetics, I don't think she's even in the top five, and to be honest I'd have a hard time even making a case for top ten - it would have to be for jumps and consistency alone, and there are other skaters who were/are better at both.

[ces1128]

OS 168, You are the one among others that grasp the real intention behind this sort of poll about Yuna .

[lulu]

I'll never understand why people are so obsessed with "best evers" or "greatest evers". There's never going to be a uniform consensus on who THE best ever is. Like anoer poster said, this is such a multifaceted sport. And why does it matter? Does it make you enjoy a certain skater any more or less if she gets named the best ever?

This.

[os168]

OS 168, You are the one among others that grasp the real intention behind this sort of poll about Yuna .

Yeah tell me about it. How is it a poll not setting up for ANYONE to fail? Certainly to cause resentment and squabbling among the figure skating community and watch
. I can't imagine any true fan would set up such a silly and self damaging poll.

Mind you, it is not the first time I have seen these subversive tactics being pulled, other than the usual mud sling, name calling and other underhanded personal ridicule I have seen on youtube and pretty much everywhere.

[RunnersHigh]

Don't be upset, os168.
This is not the first time and won't be the last time.

Reading replies, I can make sure that any *true skating fan* - purchasing tix for competitions & ice shows, reading rule books, subscribing skating magazines and respecting every skater - won't take this serious at all.

[all_empty]

I like Yu-Na's skating (especially her late junior/early senior stuff) and she's obviously a strong skater and competitor.

I also respect that she's single-handedly popularized skating in Korea and all of her charity work.

Even if she wins in Sochii, I'm not sure I'd consider her the best ever either. Perhaps it's her reserved nature but her skating doesn't excite me. And despite Yu-Na's competitive record, she comes across as someone who doesn't relish competing. To me, that's what makes a champion memorable.

I don't find that she pushes boundaries artistically either. The David Wilson choreography feels a little stale and aesthetically her positions are not among "the greats" in that area (i.e. Fleming, Cohen).

Is she a great athlete? Without a doubt. She mastered a judging system in a way few others have. Who knows, maybe she'll win me over next season.

[os168]

Don't be upset, os168.
This is not the first time and won't be the last time.

Reading replies, I can make sure that any *true skating fan* - purchasing tix for competitions & ice shows, reading rule books, subscribing skating magazines and respecting every skater - won't take this serious at all.

Haha I am not upset! Far from it. I am laughing at the whole thing and even enjoy poking fun at the morbid business that is
fan culture > sub culture > under culture > the pit > the gutter > youtube hell > FSU trashcan
hence my tongue in cheek response about Ando in Star Wars gear (Inspired by the best Film Soundtrack in the other thread).

I don't really know what is true fan either, I don't think I am true anything. It is not like I have exactly 'came out' among my family and friends for my love for skating and appreciation for certain skaters, so this is my little guilty pleasure / sin / safety haven place once every blue moon.