By Kang Yoon-seung
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- Kim Bo-reum, a former short track speed skater who switched to long track, joined her teammates' training in Gangneung on Tuesday.
Arriving at the venue earlier than expected to prepare for her potential participation in the women's 3,000m, Kim tried to ease concerns about her condition.
"I have much improved from the injury. The main concern was my physical strength, which was weakened by the injury, and I have recovered a lot," she told reporters after her training at Gangneung Oval which will host speed skating events for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics,
Kim suffered a back injury in November in a fall during the mass start semifinals at her first World Cup of the 2017-2018 season.
While the skater's main area of focus is the mass start, there's a rising possibility that Kim may also take part in the women's 3,000m due to an absence of a Russian athlete. The event is scheduled for Saturday, but Kim will not know whether she will run for the competition until the day before.
"I am preparing for the event, although the news reached me a little bit late. There's not much time," Kim said. "But this is the Winter Games being hosted in our country, and it gave me the opportunity."
Kim said although it would have been better if she knew about her potential participation sooner, she will still make her best efforts to prepare for the event.
The team pursuit event will start on Feb. 19, and the mass start on Feb. 24, a day before the closing of the 2018 Winter Games. Accordingly, Kim originally planned to move to Gangneung later than her teammates.
For Kim, Gangneung Oval is a special venue, as it was where she broke her own national record in the women's 3,000m, at 4:03.85, at the International Skating Union World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in February last year.
"I only have good memories here," Kim said, expressing the ambition to try her best at the upcoming competition.
South Korean skater Kim Bo-reum trains at Gangneung Oval, located in Gangneung, the sub-host city of the PyeongChang Winter Games, located 230 kilometers east of Seoul, on Feb. 6, 2018. (Yonhap)
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