VANCOUVER (AFP) -- The pressure will be on South Korea's Kim Yu-Na as she carries a heavy weight of expectation on her shoulders for gold in the women's Olympic figure skating event.
World champion Kim has dominated the season and is hot favorite to become the first South Korean Olympic figure skating champion.
But she will be mindful of recent Games where the winners -- Tara Lipinsky, Sarah Hughes and Shizuka Arakawa -- were not the favorites.
Nevertheless the battle for gold looks set to be an Asian affair fueling the long-running rivalry between Kim and Japan's Mao Asada.
Kim has lost just twice in the past two seasons, both times to Asada at the 2008 worlds and the 2008-2009 Grand Prix final.
She opened this season in style, winning the Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris by beating Asada with the highest-ever women's total score of 210.03 points.
But mistakes at Skate America and the Grand Prix final have given hope to her rivals.
Asada, meanwhile, has bounced back from a drop of form by claiming a fourth national title, and winning the Four Continents with two triple Axels.
Kim Yu-Na's free skate from the 2009 Worlds.
That title rekindled her keen rivalry with Kim, who missed the Jeonju event.
All leads to a much-anticipated clash between the 19-year-olds in the Pacific Coliseum.
Both will be competing in their first Olympics after missing the 2006 Turin Games because they were too young to compete.
Although Joannie Rochette will be hoping to put the hosts on the women's podium for the first time in 22 years and European champion Carolina Kostner has warned she is ready to challenge, the battle looks set to be an Asian one.
Kim, Asada and Japan's Miki Ando have won the last three world titles.
And of the nine medals on offer over the last three world championships, the trio have won seven, with Ando leading a sweep ahead of Asada and Kim in 2007.
Once best known for her jumps, Ando, who landed the first and only quad by a woman in competition in 2002, has become a more rounded skater and coached by Russian Nikolai Morozov, who helped Arakawa to a surprise gold in Turin, is hoping to emulate her countrywoman.
Ando competed at the Turin Olympics where she finished a disappointing 15th.
This year she has won the Cup of Russia and the NHK Trophy but was runner-up behind Kim at the Grand Prix final.
The third member of the Japanese team is Akiko Suzuki, who won the Cup of China, placed second at nationals and third at the Grand Prix final, and is also eying a podium spot.
Meanwhile the United States could find themselves off the women's podium for the first time since the 1964 Innsbruck Games with national champion Rachael Flatt having her work cut out against the likes of Kim and the Japanese.
The women's competition gets underway with the short program on February 23, with the free skating final two days later.
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