Ahead of her first world championships in two years, South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na said Sunday she wants to stay calm and relaxed before the biggest event of the season.

Kim departed for Canada on Sunday ahead of the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. The 22-year-old will chase her second world title in London, Ontario. The ladies’ short program is scheduled for Thursday and free skating will be held on Saturday, all local time.

At her last world championships in Moscow in 2011, Kim finished in second place, behind Miki Ando of Japan. The 2010 Olympic gold medalist then sat out the entire 2011-12 season, but announced in July last year that she would return to competition, ending months of speculation about her future.

After missing the early part of the 2012-13 season, Kim made an impressive comeback at the NRW Trophy in Germany, winning the relatively minor event with 201.61 points, then the best score by any female skater of the season.

Kim also won the South Korean national championship in January with 210.77 points, though scores in domestic competitions aren’t recognized by the International Skating Union.

The world championships will surely be bigger than those two events. Kim admitted to feeling “anxious and nervous.”

“Depending on how nervous I feel on the day of the competition, I could make mistakes,” she told reporters at Incheon International Airport. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I want to be relaxed when I take the ice.”

Kim has been mostly mistake-free in her two events this season and she said she has also improved her choreography over time.

“I began my season late and I’ve gotten better than at the start of the season,” she said. “I haven’t tried to make any drastic changes, but I’ve been trying to polish small moves and make them perfect.”

Before this season, Kim was reunited with two of her childhood coaches, Shin Hye-sook and Ryu Jong-hyun, while retaining her long-time choreographer, David Wilson of Canada. Together, they built Kim’s short program to “The Kiss of the Vampire” from the original soundtrack for the film of the same name, and her free skating routine to a compilation of songs from the popular musical “Les Miserables.”

Kim also has fond memories of Canada. She used to train year-around in Toronto with a Canadian coach Brian Orser, and it was in Vancouver that she won her first Olympic gold medal.

“I spent such a long time there that it feels like my second home,” Kim said with a smile. “I think I will feel quite comfortable (at the world championships).”

Kim has never finished off the podium since her senior career began in 2006. At her five previous world championships, she has won once, in 2009, and finished second and third twice each.

Over that stretch, Mao Asada of Japan, one of Kim’s chief rivals, won two world titles. She and Kim will likely battle for the top spot again this year.

In winning the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships last month, Asada broke Kim’s mark for the best score this season with 205.45 points. She has successfully landed the triple axel, which requires three and a half rotations in the air. Asada is the only female skater who attempts the challenging jump in competition on a regular basis.

Kim has built her programs on less risky elements and capitalizes on her superior artistry and choreography, while Asada takes a high-risk, high-reward approach.

The South Korean star tried to downplay her rivalry with Asada.

“I’ve never put much thought into competing against one particular skater,” Kim said. “It’s unfortunate that all the talk about Asada has created extra pressure, but it’s not something I can avoid. So I am just going to try to relax. As we have always done, Asada and I will do our best.”

Other potential contenders are the reigning Canadian champion Kaetlyn Osmond and the current U.S. champion Ashley Wagner.

The next Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia, is about a year away. Kim will bid to become only the third female figure skater to successfully defend an Olympic gold medal. Sonja Henie of Norway won three consecutive gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936, and Katarina Witt of Germany claimed back-to-back gold medals in 1984 and 1988.

Kim holds three world records with 78.50 points in the short program, 150.06 points in free skating and 228.56 points in total score. All three marks were set at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

If Kim finishes first or second at this year’s world championships, South Korea as a country will be awarded three spots at the Sochi Winter Games. If she is ranked between third and 10th, two spots will be available for South Korea.

If Kim is knocked out of top 10, only one South Korean will be able to compete in Sochi.

Kim said she would like to secure “at least two spots” for South Korea in Sochi and give younger skaters a chance to experience the Winter Olympics. (Yonhap News)