Kim Yu-na to take ice at Croatia event

Kim Yu-na

Figure skating queen Kim Yu-na, 22, said she will skate in a December event in Croatia to prepare for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in February.

All That Sports, Kim’s agency, said yesterday in a press release that Kim will participate in the Golden Spin of Zagreb that will be held Dec. 5-8. The event will be her first appearance since winning the Canadian Championship in March.

The Golden Spin of Zagreb is in its 46th year; Kim participated in its junior-level event in 2003 and won.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic champion was supposed to participate in the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix events in Canada (in October) and France (in November), but she had to withdraw due to an injury she sustained to her right foot while training. Kim’s agency said she has successfully gone through rehab sessions and has recovered well.

“She can do triple jump techniques now,” a spokesman at Kim’s agency said.

“I decided to participate in an event before the Sochi Olympics as I have been recovering from the injury pretty well,” Kim said through her agency. “After looking at possible options, I decided to compete in the Golden Spin of Zagreb. I will prepare well and try to get positive results.”

Kim will unveil her new short program, “Send in the Clowns” and free skate, “Adios Nonino,” by Argentine tango musician Astor Piazzolla, at the event. “It [Adios Nonino] is the hardest program in my entire career, but it is a great one,” Kim said. “It will be a nice rehearsal for me to prepare for the Sochi event.”

This is the second time Kim will be performing to tango music after her impressive senior debut with “El Tango de Roxanne” in the 2006-7 season. She performed to music from the 2001 film “Moulin Rouge!” in her short program that season, when she won the 2006-7 Grand Prix final and finished third at the world championships.

Kim said her physical condition is about 70 percent normal and she is trying to improve her performance in the new programs with her choreographer, David Wilson.

Last season, Kim participated in two minor events, the NRW Trophy, which was held in Dortmund, Germany, and one held in Korea in preparation for the Canadian Championship. Analysts said Kim might consider participating in a domestic event in January.

“We haven’t thought about January yet,” the agency’s spokesman said. “But we will consider every possible option that will help her to have a successful outcome in Sochi.”

BY KWON SANG-SOO [sakwon80@joongang.co.kr]