WOW. According to several news sources, Yu-na Kim is no longer training with Brian Orser. UM??? Apparently, the relationship between the two has been icy (pun intended) since May, when another (unnamed!!!) skater approached Orser to coach him or her. News sources are stating that both Kim's representatives and Orser's are stating that the other initiated the split (corrected).
So, who is the mystery skater? I mean, is it Mao Asada? Or someone else of her caliber? It's obvious that Kim doesn't mind Orser training other skaters, but was this one skater too many (no matter who it was?)? Or an excuse to leave Orser and move on? I mean, I think Orser has proven himself as a coach, or he just knows how to pick the right students. But to have their relationship fall apart so soon after they happily worked together to win the Olympic gold medal is pretty devastating. I haven't felt this bad about a coaching split since Michelle Kwan left Frank Carroll in the 2002 Olympic season.
Kim has not announced a new coach.
UPDATED: Per AFP:
Orser said he was "surprised" that he would no longer be her coach, and said the split was not related to any plan to coach another skater, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
If it was not another skater, and Kim has just decided she no longer needs Orser, perhaps she is just preparing for her leave from competitive figure skating? If she doesn't plan on competing anymore it would make sense that she would no longer need Orser. However, that is obviously pure speculation. I just don't want to believe that they are parting due to another skater or animosity or something. That would be so sad.
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