Figure skater Kim Yu-na has fired her Canadian coach, Brian Orser, despite a partnership that helped catapult her to the top of the Olympic podium in Vancouver last February.
In a statement released Tuesday, Orser's management agency, IMG, said Kim's mother told Orser on Aug. 2 that "he would no longer be retained" as coach.
According to IMG, "no reason was given for the sudden and unexpected decision."
Kim's mother, Park Mi-hee, a translator, Orser and another coach, Tracy Wilson, were all present at the Aug. 2 meeting. Kim was not.
A statement issued by Kim's management company, AT Sports, said the relationship between Orser and Kim had been "uncomfortable" since May.
The 19-year-old phenom from South Korea began working with Orser in 2006 at Toronto's Cricket Skating and Curling Club. He took over as her full-time coach in 2007.
After winning the 2009 world championship, Kim arrived at the 2010 Games the overwhelming favourite to win the gold medal and she delivered, breaking her own record for points accumulated in a competition. Her on-ice success has given her a regal nickname in South Korea, "Queen Yu-na," and she rakes in millions of dollars in endorsement deals.
In interviews during the Olympics, Kim praised her coach and his positive influence on her skating. But on Tuesday, Orser was left to simply wish his young protege well.
"I am honoured to have worked with such a talented and gifted skater," Orser said in his statement. "I wish her all the best as she moves forward in her skating career."
USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan said a break-up between a coach and top-level skater is not uncommon after an Olympic Games, as fame, endorsement deals and the pressure of being a defending champion all weigh on the athlete.
But in this case, Brennan points out that Kim's mother may have been heavily involved in the decision, as she has taken over as her daughter's agent and seems to be "running the store."
"This happens a lot in skating," Brennan told CTV News Channel in an interview from Washington on Tuesday evening. "The parents are so involved…and in this case it sounds like we have the ultimate skating Mom. (But) it's their right to do that. This is their daughter."
It is unclear if Kim has retained a new coach. She still trains at the Cricket Club, and last month announced she will skip the Grand Prix series of competitions this season to prepare for the World Figure Skating Championships.
That announcement came as a surprise to Orser, who told The Canadian Press Tuesday he learned of Kim's decision to sit out the Grand Prix season like everyone else: via the media.
He says he then learned Kim had asked former Canadian ice dancer Shae-Lynn Bourne to choreograph her short program. Previously, Kim's programs had been choreographed by David Wilson, who is also based out of the Cricket Club.
Brennan said the split is unlikely to have a negative impact on Orser's coaching career.
"He took an athletically gifted but otherwise not very talented artistically skater four years ago (and) turned her into one of the greatest Olympic gold medallists ever," Brennan said.
"My sense is his phone will be ringing off the hook as people want to come up and skate with him. He is a first-class fellow, a great sportsman and obviously an excellent coach."
With files from The Canadian Press
