Teen figure skater Kim Ye-lim qualified for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in December.
Kim is one of six skaters to advance to the final to be held in Vancouver, Canada from Dec. 6 to Dec. 9. The other five are all Russian.
She follows in the footsteps of figure skating star Kim Yu-na, who first made herself known on the world stage at the same event in 2004, winning the first medal by a Korean skater. She won a gold medal in the same competition the following year, and went on to conquer the world on the senior circuit.
"It still feels like a dream for me. I'm excited but feel a lot of responsibility as I'm representing Korea," said the younger Kim, who temporarily returned to Korea after a three-month training in Colorado.
She said training at Colorado Springs' high altitude of over 1,800 m has improved her strength.
"I started figure skating after seeing Kim Yu-na competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I saw her get a standing ovation and loud cheers from the crowd, and I really wanted to be there too. If I go step by step, maybe I will be able to get there at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing," Kim said.
Her goal for this season is to break the 200-point mark in overall score. She left for Colorado on Monday to prepare for the JGPF.
