South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na will depart for Canada on Sunday ahead of the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships, for her first appearance at the annual event in two years.
Kim, 22, will chase her second world title in London, Ontario.
The ladies’ short program is scheduled for next Thursday and free skating will be held next Saturday.
At her last world championships in Moscow in 2011, Kim finished in second place, behind Miki Ando of Japan.
Kim Yu-na (File photo)
The 2010 Olympic gold medalist then sat out the entire 2011-12 season, but announced in July last year that she would return to competition, ending months of speculation about her future.
After missing the early part of the 2012-13 season, Kim made an impressive comeback at the NRW Trophy in Germany, winning the event with 201.61 points, then the best score by any female skater this season.
Kim then won the South Korean national championship in January with 210.77 points, though the score wasn’t recognized by the International Skating Union.
Before this season, Kim was reunited with two of her childhood coaches, Shin Hye-sook and Ryu Jong-hyun, while retaining her long-time choreographer, David Wilson of Canada.
Together, they built Kim’s short program to “The Kiss of the Vampire” from the original soundtrack for the film of the same name, and her free skating routine to a compilation of songs from the popular musical “Les Miserables.”
Kim has never finished off the podium since her senior career began in 2006. At her five previous world championships, she has won once, in 2009, and finished second and third twice each.
Over that stretch, Mao Asada of Japan, one of Kim’s chief rivals, won two world titles. She and Kim will likely battle for the top spot again this year. (Yonhap News)