With Yuna Kim Lax On Defending Olympic Gold, Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold, And Polina Edmunds Prepare For American Challenge Of Sochi Medal

As the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi draws near, attention is centered on figure skater Yuna Kim—and the American women attempting to challenge for a podium medal.

Without question, South Korean figure skater has been the dominant female figure skater since her Olympic gold win in 2010. Yet despite her commanding artistic and technical skills, the skater does not seem to have a second Olympic gold in sight.

"It's not easy to do well every time, but I've made preparations enough to gain plenty of confidence," said Yuna Kim according to Yahoo Sports.

"Many people talk about winning two straight gold medals, but I'm not focusing on defending the title. I just hope to do everything I've prepared to do. As long as I can do that, I think the results will follow and I should be able to end my career without regrets."

But with her figure skating skills well within gold potential, it might be hard to ignore the chatter of Yuna Kim going for the gold for a second time.

And after easily winning at the 2014 South Korean Figure Skating Championships, the US National Championships has put together an impressive roster of challengers.

There is Grand Prix Final medalist Ashley Wagner, the latest American national champion Gracie Gold, and the inexperienced but fresh Polina Edmunds.

Although the competition is very heavy with potential medalists from Japan and Russia, the unexpected team makeup for the US could lead to surprising results, especially if Yuna Kim does not have the mindset of winning like in 2010.

"I am very aware of who I am up against. Yuna is a force to be reckoned with and I acknowledge that entirely. My main goal is to get onto the podium," said Ashley Wagner.
"I would love to be Olympic Champion, but I also know that compared to last season I need to step it up a lot more. I need the triple-triple, I need the full package, cause I'm going up against a favorite and that's pretty tough, so there's no room for mistakes and I'm doing everything I possibly can to get the most juice out of those programs."

Could Ashley Wagner, Polina Edmunds, or Gracie Gold stand on the podiums with—or even above—Yuna Kim? Only time will tell what the Olympic Games will bring in Sochi.

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