Kim Yuna Is In The Haus!
I knew something was going on when I was entering through the front entrance of my office building that morning.
The revolving door was blocked by a tall Korean guy in black suit and overcoat. I immediately knew he was a bodyguard because (a) he had an earpiece, and (b) his hair was properly combed and sleek (and very un-K-pop-ish). Plus, he was trying to intimidate everyone with his cold stare. I stared back at him, letting him know I wasn't at all intimidated. After all, he's in my territory. Ha-ha-ha!
And when I entered the building through the other glass door, I saw all these posters of the most famous Korean athlete hanging from the railings of the second floor. There was also a simple stage with seats arranged like somebody was going to perform in the building's lobby later that day!
There's a sports gear shop in this building and perhaps, with all these blown-up photographs of the Vancouver Olympics' figure skating ladies singles' gold medalist, I was thinking she is now the new face of a track suit.
Kim Yuna is going to be in the house!
Well, I later learned that a press conference was going to be held that morning, and I just had to take a break for a few minutes and went down to take a peek.
Earlier that morning, the chairs in that area outnumbered the curious office people. But when I went down this time, it was as if most of the office workers in the building rushed down just to see her! I even noticed people from the next building sneaking in to join the crowd!
And when she appeared, a few aahs from the crowd and more clicking of the cameras from the photographers were heard. She stood there in front to showcase her new sportswear, and later sat down to talk about it. I didn't know how long her sales talk lasted. I was just interested in seeing her; I wasn't interested in her sports brand. (I have always been a Nike boy, unless her sports brand gives me something to change my mind. Ha-ha-ha!).
Well, when Yuna Kim skated her gold medal performance in Vancouver, she stopped the whole country for four minutes to watch her skate. But this time, without her ice skates (and only her track suit), she stopped work (at least for some curious salaried workers) in the building for about the same time.
When I was a little boy, accidentally I read the old autobiography written by Peggy Flaming who won the gold medal for US team in the woman's figure skating. My interest in the woman's figure skating culminated at then-East German player Katrina witt and gradually became lukewarm and later for a long time I didn't have watched the figure skating game.
ReplyDeleteThen all of a sudden Yuna Kim reignited my interest in the figure skating. However, I was more excited with speed skating games in Vancouver Olympics, in which Korean players won 3 gold medals for woman's 500m and man's 500m and 1000m speed skating.
Korea won 6 gold medals in Vancouver, more gold medals than The Giant Russia(3 gold), China(5 gold)which never got more gold medals than Korea in the Winter Olympic history, Japan(no Gold).
Anyway, the 3 Korean gold medalists in the speed skating really impressed me because despite each of them was the shortest of the final competitors, they defeated all the noticeably taller competitors from the western countries. It seemed to me that the Korean young boys and girls defeated the European and American full-grown adults.