Kim Yu-na opens figure skating title defense

Kim Yu-na will begin her quest to repeat as the Olympic figure skating champion on Wednesday, as the ladies' short program takes place at Iceberg Skating Palace.

Kim captured the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics with a record score of 228.56 points. She took an extended hiatus from competition afterward, apparently mulling retirement, but returned with a bang by winning her second world championship in March last year.

Last September, she suffered a foot injury that threatened to derail her preparation for Sochi, but bounced back to win a minor event in Croatia in December and then the South Korean national title last month. She has said Sochi will be her last Olympics.

Kim is trying to become just the third woman to win back-to-back Olympic figure skating titles. She will be the 17th among 30 skaters to take the ice in the short program.

The following is the list of events for South Korean athletes on Wednesday. All times are local.

- Alpine skiing (Rosa Khutor Alpine Center) Men's giant slalom, run 1 (11 a.m.) Men's giant slalom, run 2 (2:30 p.m.)

- Bobsleigh (Sanki Sliding Center)

Women's heat 3 (8:15 p.m.)

Women's heat 4 (9:23 p.m.)

- Figure skating (Iceberg Skating Palace) Ladies' short program (7 p.m.)

- Snowboarding (Rosa Khutor Extreme Park) Men's parallel giant slalom qualification (9:42 a.m.)  (Yonhap)