Life as one of the “Yu-na Kids” demands sacrifices few 16-year-olds are willing to make, but for budding South Korean starlets Kim Jin-seo and Kim Hae-jin the chance to learn from the “mother of figure skating” is worth every second of a childhood spent on skates.

The first lady of South Korean sport, Kim Yu-na has single-handedly made figure skating popular in a country where 44 of its 45 medals at the Winter Olympics have come in short track and speed skating.

Her gold medal-winning performance at the 2010 Vancouver Games left the nation spellbound and lifted her to a level of marketability few athletes could ever hope to achieve.

At 22, Kim recognizes Sochi will be her last tilt at Olympic gold but she is determined to nurture the next generation of South Korean figure skaters to vie for titles when the Winter Games come to PyeongChang in 2018.

For 16-year-old Kim Hae-jin, however, contemplating a skating world without Kim Yu-na is almost too much to bear.

“Even talking about her retirement makes me cry,” she told Reuters as tears welled up in her eyes. “Yu-na has always been in my figure skating life. She is my life.”

When asked by former President Lee Myung-bak who would carry Korea’s figure skating hopes to PyeongChang and beyond, Kim Yu-na anointed Kim Hae-jin her chosen one.

Like Kim Yu-na, Kim Hae-jin took up figure skating at 7 and landed five types of triple jump ― loop, toe loop, salchow, flip and lutz ― at the age of 12. She won gold at the 2012-13 Junior Grand Prix in Slovenia.

Blossoming under Kim Yu-na’s wing, she learned how much dedication it takes to be a success in the sport, and also got a rare insight into her idol’s personality.

“I am so grateful and honored. I want to learn every single thing Yu-na has ― not only her techniques and mental strength but also her superb personality, which made it easier for me to be around her,” said Kim Hae-jin.

“Yu-na is called ‘a lady with a steel heart,’ but I think she overcomes her nervousness with ceaseless practice and training.

“If you see how much she practices, you will know why she is called Queen Yu-na,” she added.

Kim Jin-seo is another of Kim Yu-na’s prodigies and one of the few competitive male figure skaters in South Korea.

He won a bronze medal at the 2012-2013 Junior Grand Prix in Austria and will be on the plane to Russia if he places no lower than sixth in the Nebelhorn Trophy in September.

He says he is blessed to train each day with the skater he calls “Yu-na the Goddess” and he studies her closely.

Simply being known as one of the “Yu-na Kids” gives him a lift.

“The very nickname has imbued me with the fighting spirit to live up to the expectation,” he told Reuters.

“Everyone has good or bad days but Yu-na is amazingly consistent, always sticking to her schedule on the (training) ground as well as on the ice. When I watch her, I know I can’t cut myself any slack.” (Reuters)