South Korea can sleep peacefully tonight knowing that Yuna Kim has taken the lead after the short program performances at Sochi.
Currently, Yuna Kim holds the leading position followed by Russia's Adelina Sotnikova and Italy's Carolina Kostner.
Kim received a score of 74.92 points after skating to "Send in the Clowns."
The Los Angeles Times reported that although Yuna Kim's program was clean, it lacked the transitional moves necessary for jumps, dragging her score down.
The footwork sequence and layback spin also reduced her base values.
For the short program at Sochi 2014, "Queen Yuna" seemed to have slightly lost the calm demeanor she so gracefully carries.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Kim explained, "I did a lot of clean short programs in practice. And I was sure I could do a clean short in the competition. [But] in the warmup, I was very nervous. I felt stiff. I couldn't jump at all. I just tried to believe in myself."
That alone seemed to have worked.
Russian skater Julia Lipnitskaya, who placed 5th, had insisted that she felt no pressure, only to fall during her performance.
The 15-year-old said, "I feel sad," in response to the score she received for the short program.
In second place is Russia's Adeline Sotnikova, 17, who skated to "Carmen." The young skater reportedly received a higher technical score than Kim.
In third place is Italy's Carolina Kostner. To the surprise of the audience, Mao Asada has been bumped down to 16th place, due to a fall that wouldn't let her finish a required combination.
Kostner, who skated to Ave Maria, was nervous as well. She stated to the Los Angeles Times, "I was a little afraid going after Julia. I tried to think positive and light things. I am very relieved."
The long program will be on Thursday with "Queen Yuna" skating last.
According to the New York Times, Yuna will be judged by her performance back in 2010, not her "current merit."
Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic champion explained, "Now it's really tempting to judge her, not so much against the field, but against herself. If you feel like she maybe isn't what she was four years ago, maybe it's because we've grown accustomed to her. You've got to guard against that because it can create a level of prejudice, where you are not allowing her to stand on her merit but on the magic that was created four years ago."
