Kim Yuna winner of the Golden Pirouette

Apart from having a star status in her country, South Korean world champion, Kim Yuna, was also the star of the 46th Golden Pirouette, the oldest figure ice-skating competition in the world. The athlete, therefore, brought more than 2000 fans from Japan and Korea to Zagreb.

Current Olympic winner and world champion figure-skater, Kim Yuna of South Korea, won the 46th Golden Pirouette, the oldest figure-skating competition in the world, which has been taking place in Zagreb since 1967. The contest was held between the 5th and the 7th of December and, apart from being the best in it, during this year’s edition of the Golden Pirouette Kim Yuna enjoyed the same star status she is used to back home. The top-class athlete was accompanied to Zagreb by 50 journalists and almost 2000 fans from Japan and Korea. Many arrived from various European cities where they study or work, and they all very much enjoyed the beauties and tourist attractions of Zagreb. Guests from these faraway countries appreciated the Christmas decorations and the special Advent atmosphere in the city centre, as well as numerous tourist attractions and museums, including the Museum of Naïve Art and the original Museum of Broken Relationships. Apart from Zagreb, some of Kim Yuna’s fans who followed her to Croatia also managed to make a trip to one of Croatia’s most beautiful natural jewels – the Plitvice Lakes, with a promise that they would return to Croatia this summer and visit the Adriatic coast.

Zagreb is visited by increasing numbers of guests from Korea, while the Japanese tourists have been among the most frequent foreign guests in the Croatian capital for a number of years now. According to the statistics for November 2013, the Japanese are second only to Italians when it comes to most frequent visits to Zagreb. Kim Yuna was surprised to see many fans from all over the world at Zagreb’s Golden Pirouette, announcing she would now focus on preparing for the Olympic Games in Sochi. We wish her great success!

The second place in this competition was won by two-time world champion Miki Ando of Japan, while third place was won by Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia. Sergei Voronov of Russia was the best in the male competition, second place was taken by another Russian, Artur Gachinski, while third was won by the Italian Ivan Righini, who is of Russian origin, but has recently changed his nationality and surname.

The couples contest was won by Andrea Davidovich and Evgeni Krasnopolski from Israel, second place went to Natalya Zabianka and Alexander Zaboev of Estonia, while third place was won by Julia Lavrentieva and Yuri Rudyk from Ukraine.