South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na has been named Female Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Sports Academy.
 
The academy said this week that Kim beat out eleven other candidates for the honor, including tennis star Serena Williams and golfer, Park In-bee, who became the first South Korean to win the LPGA Player of the Year award this year.

The academy said despite Kim's two-year hiatus following the 2010 Winter Olympics, she picked up where she left off by winning gold at the women's 2013 World Figure Skating Championships.

This is the second time Kim has been named Female Athlete of the Year by the sports academy. She won three years ago after winning gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal was named the Male Athlete of the Year.