This weekend the Asian Games ended in Incheon, where the sex symbol of South Korean sports, the 20-year-old rhythmic gymnast, won another historic medal - this time a gold one. A week earlier, she - again for the first time in the history of her country and for the first time in 40 years for all of Asia - lost only to two Russians.
“After 15 minutes, all IOC members reached the exit. What an Olympic program! I remember one of them said to me: “Is this at the Olympics? This way we’ll get to dancing on the floor.”
All these details would hardly be worth telling Russian sports fans if not for one detail: for almost four years now, Son Yong-Jae has been living in our country and training with our coaches. And now we can consider that there is a moral duty for the hero of Sochi 2014 Victor Ahn, which won three gold medals, Russia gave to South Korea in full.
We all remember how much gray noise the story of the Korean short track racer gathered around itself Ahn Hyun-soo, who, due to a series of injuries, was actually written off in his historical homeland and, under the name Viktor An, became the most successful Russian Olympian at the home Games in Sochi. Admirers of the Russian spirit did not recognize these victories as truly ours, and the South Korean Ministry of Sports began a special investigation to understand who is to blame for Ahn’s departure.
Within six months the noise died down, and it couldn’t have been any other way: modern sport, whether anyone likes it or not, has long been outside the framework national borders. And if this trend cannot be overcome, then you can turn it to your advantage.
How “female artists” got to the Olympics
Actually, the president of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics and the head coach of our team Irina Viner so he does. , knowing full well that this is the only chance for her sport. No one is interested in watching the constant victories of one country - even if they are won by the most beautiful young girls in the world.
A few days ago I spoke with one of the oldest members of the IOC (since 1971!) Vitaly Smirnov, who has no equal in our country in terms of knowledge of all trends in world sports politics. The conversation went on, as often with Vitaly Georgievich, about everything, and at some point it came to how rhythmic gymnastics even got into the Olympic program.
“Our specialist Elena Nefedova trains the Korean; she lives with the entire Russian team in Novogorsk, in in social networks posts statuses “I love Moscow” - that is, she has already completely mastered it.”
It happened at the IOC session in Varna in 1973,” he said. – Well, you understand, socialist Bulgaria and its leader Todor Zhivkov We tried our best, the conditions were great. And at some point they brought us to the stadium and gave demonstration performances in rhythmic gymnastics– Bulgarians were already leaders in this sport back then. And what can I tell you: after 15 minutes, all the IOC members reached for the exit. Why? Unusual and boring! What an Olympic program! I remember one of them said to me: “Is this at the Olympics? This way we’ll get to dancing on the floor.”
But the leaders of world rhythmic gymnastics made the right conclusions. A few years later, gymnastics was developed in dozens of countries, including the USA, after which no questions arose. Since 1984, this species has been firmly included in the Games program. Well, how strong... Now strong positions need to be constantly maintained - . And the medals of the Korean Son Young-Jae come in handy here. Support for the Asian entertainment market would be helpful.
"I love Moscow"
And the story of Song Young-Jae requires, of course, a separate description - preferably from first-hand knowledge (she speaks Russian, but approximately at the level of Viktor Ahn - that is, it is difficult to understand, but possible). From the age of six she studied gymnastics in Korea, achieved some success within the country, but quickly realized that only in Russia could they make her a real star. In 2011, she was released to Moscow with tears in her eyes, also because it was costing her businessman father a pretty penny.
But now no one regrets anything. Now Son Young-jae is a real celebrity, and in her homeland she is simply a sex symbol and a cult object - just see her on the covers of Vogue, Bazaar, Marie Claire or look at this one commercial for one drink .
Our specialist trains the Korean girl Elena Nefedova, she lives with the entire Russian national team in Novogorsk, posts statuses “I love Moscow” on social networks - that is, she has already completely settled down. Irina Viner even says that she does not specifically interfere with her preparation - otherwise with such data.
However, even if Son Young-Jae starts winning after some time, this is hardly something to be upset about. We already have our own Korean champion.
The plot of the story, in which such a quiet, adequate, tolerant Korea has been seething and gurgling for several days in a row, is a product of the time in which we live. One careless move and you are already an outcast.
Who is Song Young Jae?
23-year-old Song Young-jae is, one might say, a legend of Asian rhythmic gymnastics. And on a global scale, it is rated quite highly: “The main thing is not victory, but participation” - this is definitely not its principle.
Over the 7 years of her “adult” career, Song Young-jae successfully went to two Olympics (2012 and 2016), won 11 gold medals at three Asian championships, became the winner of the 2014 Asian Games in all-around, took three highest titles at the World Universiade 2015. Finally, her collection includes a bronze medal from the 2014 World Championships in hoop exercises. The first and so far the only South Korean medal at gymnastics tournaments of this level.
Song Young Jae. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Needless to say that all these outstanding successes made the well-behaved, smiling, pretty girl the heroine of the nation? Koreans, not spoiled by world sports fame, do not miss such chances. If Dream had lived her life best years in her native Seoul, fans and admirers would not have allowed her to take a step in peace: such is the lot of every popular athlete in the Land of Morning Freshness. But she lived them in Moscow, training under the guidance Honored Trainer of Russia Elena Nefedova.
A year ago, Son “retired”: 22 years old is, in general, the maximum age for gymnastics. And she returned to Seoul, taking with her her love for everything Russian.
Until the end of January 2018, her life was beautiful and amazing, and then bang - and everything went to hell.
What has she done?
Yes, something... She betrayed the interests of the nation, that's what! She didn’t give a damn, one might say, in the soul of the Korean people, trampled on their eternal values and holy ideals.
The beautiful Song Yeon-jae committed all these terrible crimes with one slight movement of her hand, liking the photo of the champion Olympic Games 2014 Adeline Sotnikova(with which the Korean woman is very familiar: the girls met a hundred times at training camps in Novogorsk near Moscow). That photo of her with the Sochi gold medal. And she did it on a page run by Adeline’s fans. And which, accordingly, only true fans visit.
In short, I liked it and forgot about it.
But as soon as the secret became clear, arrows of anger fell on poor Song. In the blink of an eye, the Korean segment of the Internet turned the princess into a pumpkin, attributing to her all the sins possible. Right up to the very “betrayal of the interests of the nation.”
The dream, I must admit, really made a mistake. If she had liked a photo of any other Olympic champion (or champion) in the entire history of civilization, no one would have noticed. But she chose Sotnikova, without thinking at all that Russian grace in Korea, to put it delicately, is not liked. She is a real persona non grata in this country.
What is Adeline's fault?
Very simple. Korea is still confident that the same gold medal, the photo from which Son Yeon-jae noted, does not belong to Sotnikova, but to the great (what else?) Korean figure skater Kim Yu Na. Olympic champion in Vancouver, two-time world champion, three-time winner of the Grand Prix finals and winner of “only” a silver medal at the 2014 Olympics.
And it was like that in Sochi.
Kim Yu Na won the short program, just slightly ahead of Sotnikova and the Italian Caroline Costner. But in the free program Sotnikova prevailed, and the points she scored were just enough to take absolute gold.
website– On Sunday, March 3, the international rhythmic gymnastics tournament “Grand Prix Moscow 2013” ended. Korean gymnast Song Young-jae (손연재) became the bronze medalist in the clubs exercise with a score of 16.533 points, losing to Russian Margarita Mamun (17.933) and Bulgarian gymnast Silvia Miteva (16.950).
In the final exercises with the ribbon, she took only 6th place (16.233).
According to the results of the qualifying competitions, Son Young-Jae took 10th place among 34 participants in the competition. In total, gymnasts from 31 countries took part in the Grand Prix Moscow 2013.
Now the participants of the Moscow stage will have to perform at the next stage in a week - it will be held in Tel Aviv. Then – tournaments in France and the Czech Republic. The final of the series will be held in Berlin, its participants will be determined according to the rating list, which began its report from the Moscow stage.
Following the results of the competition, the President of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics Irina Aleksandrovna Viner-Usmanova, praising the Russian participants, said a few warm words to the foreign athletes.
“I’m glad that the Bulgarian gymnast Miteva does not continue to compete,” said Viner-Usmanova. - She has good program, she is a very strong gymnast - she performed great here and took prizes. I told her about this when I awarded her. Korean Song Young Jae also performed well. At the Games in London she was only 3 tenths of Dasha Dmitrieva. Now she has recovered a little, she has a new program. She hasn’t gotten into shape yet, but she trains well and really loves rhythmic gymnastics. I think she can break into the leadership. Wonderful athletes competed for Ukraine and Romania.”
In the finals of the XXX Summer Olympic Games 2012 in London, she took sixth place among 24 gymnasts, scoring 110.30 points in the sum of four exercises - hoop, ball, club and ribbon. Son Yeon-jae finished third in hoop, sixth in ball, 18th in clubs and fifth in ribbon. In the history of rhythmic gymnastics in South Korea, this was the first such success.
Text: Oleg Kiryanov (Seoul)
South Korean 23-year-old rhythmic gymnast Son Young-jae, who for a long time trained in Russia under the guidance of Russian mentors, announced completion sports career. Sleep is very popular both at home and abroad.
Today, an official statement appeared on the website of the company Galaxia SM, which represents the interests of the athlete: “Son Young Jae decided not to participate in the qualifying competitions, based on the results of which the national team of the Republic of Korea will be formed... At the same time, Song decided to end her sports career.”
Although this decision was expected, Song's many fans both at home and abroad accepted the decision with sadness. Song Young-jae became an absolutely iconic athlete for South Korea, who actually introduced Korea to the world of rhythmic gymnastics. Song Young-jae represented a kind of “Korean breakthrough” in this sport. She managed to compete with the undisputed leaders in this event - Russians and representatives of countries of Eastern Europe. Korea had never come close to a medal before this.
Son came close to the Olympic podium at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, eventually finishing fourth, behind only two Russians and a Ukrainian. The athlete’s assets include the title of the best rhythmic gymnast in Asia and medals at various international competitions. At the 2014 World Championships, Song Young-jae won the bronze medal, marking South Korea's first time in rhythmic gymnastics at a world championships. In some ways, Song Yong-jae is similar to Kim Yong-ah: if the latter introduced Korea to the world of rhythmic skating, provoking a whole boom in this sport in the country with her success, then the former did the same with rhythmic gymnastics. According to polls, Song Young-jae is one of the most popular athletes in Korea.
The Korean woman is well known and loved in Russia. Feeling that she had reached her limit in Korea, where there is still a lack of international-level mentors in this sport, Song went to train in Russia and since 2011 has been in Novogorsk, where she trained under the guidance of the famous coach Elena Nefedova. The girl developed excellent relationships with the athletes of the Russian national team, with whom she prepared for various international competitions.
“It’s a little sad, of course, but I don’t regret anything,” Song said, commenting on her decision. She also stated that she intends to continue working in rhythmic gymnastics, but already preparing a worthy replacement for herself.
Name: Yook Sung Jae / Yook Sung Jae / Yook Sung Jae / 육성재
Occupation: singer, actor
Height: 180 cm
Date of birth: May 2, 1995
Place of birth: Suwon South Korea
Family: parents and older sister
Series
- Village: Achiara's Secret | The Village: Achiara's Secret (2015) Main role, Park Woo-jae
- Who are you: School 2015 | Who Are You: School 2015 (2015) Main role, Gong Tae-gwang
- This damn nine! | Plus Nine Boys (2014) Main role, Kang Min Goo
- Return to 1994 | Reply 1994 (2013) Cameo role, Sung Joon
- Heirs | The Heirs (2013) Cameo role in the fourth episode, Yook Sung-jae
- MonStar | Monstar (2013) Cameo role, member of the group Men In Black
Biography
South Korean actor and singer Yook Sung-jae was born on May 2, 1995. A few months before his debut, he moved to Seoul. Before that, he lived with his parents and older sister in Suwon (Gyeonggi Province). Cheerful, positive and at the same time modest, Song Jae dreamed of becoming a ballad singer as a child.
Song Jae participated in JYP Entertainment's sixth open audition but was eliminated in the second round. Cube Entertainment, founded by ex-president JYP ent., noticing the talent and potential of the charismatic teenager, invited him to their company. So Song Jae became a trainee and began his preparations for his debut under the “wing” of Cube Entertainment. In 2010 he performed at the Cube Stars Party 2010 Performance.
On March 22, 2012, Mnet's music chart M! Countdown marked the debut of Song Jae as part of the boy band BtoB. The band's name is pronounced "B-to-B" and stands for "Born to Beat". There are currently seven members in the group. Song Jae is the youngest and at the same time the tallest of them. For their debut performance, BtoB performed the songs "Insane" and "Imagine". The day before, a showcase was broadcast live on the group's official YouTube channel, in which the members demonstrated amazing vocal and dance skills.
In 2013, Song Jae made his debut as an actor. His really first role was a cameo in the series “Monstar”, where he played one of the members of the musical group “Men in Black”. In the same year, he starred in cameos in the TV series Descendants and Return to 1994.
In 2014, Song Jae received one of the main roles in the series “That Damn Nine!” The actor played the role of a nineteen-year-old active and passionate teenager. He later said that the writers encouraged him in everything. Also, Song Jae and CLC member Seung Hee recorded a joint OST for the series called “Curious.” That same year, he starred in episodes 77-78 of “Real Men” and, along with Super Junior's Kangin and F(x)'s Amber, became the MC of the third season of "A Song For You". Song Jae also became a member of the program "Hitmaker", where he, GOT7's Jackson, N and VIXX's Hyuk formed the group "Big Byung".
On April 27, 2015, KBS2 began broadcasting Who Are You: School 2015 starring Song Jae. The plot revolves around twin girls separated at birth. Years later, one of the girls unexpectedly disappears during a school trip, and a few days later her twin sister takes her place in the house and school. From the very first episode, the series aroused overwhelming interest among viewers, and the last episode broke all viewing records. As of July 7, the series still tops the TOP 10 series of the first half of 2015. Song Jae not only played in it main role, a student of Kong Tae Gwang, he also performed an OST called "Love Song". The song, like the series, was a huge success with the public. Shortly after its release, it reached number one on Korean music sites Soribada, Mnet, Monkey3, Genie and Olleh. "Love Song" also peaked at number 3 on Instiz's iChart.
In May, Song Jae became a contestant on the show "King of Mask Singer", in which judges evaluate contestants solely on their voices, as the singers' faces are hidden behind a mask. Song Jae, aka “Mr. Bee” reached the semi-finals, where he lost to Sky Lark. When Song Jae revealed his identity, the judges were amazed. His voice made a strong impression on both them and the audience. Sung Jae told the judges that he was just as talented as the other BtoB members and that he wanted to show everyone what this “young boy” was really capable of.
In June, Song Jae began working on a new project, the popular MBC show "We Got Married." In it, specially created celebrity couples experience the joys and challenges of “married” life, as well as perform special tasks and host other celebrities and MBC cameramen. Song Jae's "wife" on the show was Red Velvet member Joy. Their couple is by far the youngest in the history of WGM.
Curious facts
- Favorite colors: red, black.
- Favorite numbers: 6, 66, 666.
- Favorite food: miso soup.
- Can eat eight strawberry yogurts at a time.
- He wants to get married early, but doesn’t think it will work out because of his job.
- Ideal type of girl: Shin Min Ah.
- On the show 'Real Men', Sung Jae said that he usually likes girls who are older than him. When asked which female idol he would like to go on a date with, he named Miss A's Bae Soo Ji (Suzy) without hesitation.
- I like cute, energetic and smart girls.
- Hobbies: snowboarding, fishing.
- Favorite songs: Na Yoon Kwon – Since that Day, Kim Dong Ryul – Old Song.
- Favorite movie: Bruce Almighty.
- Role Model: Kim Dong Ryul.
- He is friends with Kim Nam Joo from the group A pink.
- Song Jae's father CEO in a large company. He spoke about this on the show “Weekly Idol”. Also, at one of the releases, he demonstrated his talent for imitating fish.
- When going to a music show or in the waiting room, he always looks in the mirror to make sure he looks great. This helps Sung Jae calm down and relieve stress. His passion for mirrors even earned him the nickname “Mirror Addiction.”
- He loves it when people say he is handsome. Every time I hear this, I become more confident. If someone tells Sung Jae that he looks “not so good”, it can throw him off track for the whole day.
- He likes people who can show themselves as leaders when communicating with him. This also applies to requests. In one interview, he said that if they want to ask or ask him for something, then it needs to be done confidently, a little arrogantly and coldly, like the character Shin Min Ah in the series “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.”
- Because of tall he very rarely takes center stage in group shots.
- Entered the list of idols with the funniest graduation photos.
- Motto: “Live like a man and die like a man!”
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