Musing on her latest accomplishment in an already illustrious figure skating career, South Korean star Kim Yu-na said Sunday she thinks she’s aided by her natural talent.

“I think I was born gifted,” Kim said with a sheepish grin.

“Honestly, I can see some athletes who work even harder than I do (but who aren’t as successful). On the other hand, I’ve seen some talented skaters who don’t know how good they could be and who don’t work as hard.

“Unless you back up your natural gifts with effort, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Kim said she believes practice indeed makes perfect.

“Over the years, I’ve learned that if you’re successful in practice, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll also be successful at the actual competition,” she said.

“Before this competition, I hardly made any mistakes during my practices. That helped me stay calm during the competition.” (Yonhap News)