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 the end of her 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 for South Korea certainly a landmark athlete for the country, 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, which became the first medal in South Korea's history. rhythmic gymnastics at the 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.
IN last years Several of Korea's young female athletes have attracted attention at home and abroad with their charisma and successful performances that have distinguished them in sports that have historically been dominated by European athletes. Along with figure skating, which is dominated internationally by Olympic champion Kim Young, rhythmic gymnastics is another sport that is beginning to find a following among Koreans.
The attention was drawn to 18-year-old Son Young-jae, whom her fans call the “gymnastics fairy” of Korea.
Song Young-jae recently secured her spot at the 2012 London Olympics after placing eleventh in the individual all-around final at the 2011 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier, France, with 15 championship finalists on the list of gymnasts who will compete in London. Local fans and commentators paid attention to Song Young-jae's performance, and especially noted the improvement in her performance since she first competed in the 2010 World Championships in Moscow, where she finished 32nd.
Song Young-jae, who is currently undergoing intensive training at the famous Novogorsk training center near Moscow to prepare for her Olympic debut, arrived in Korea on December 15 last year for a short rest.
Giving up vacation to continue strict regime training, Song Young-jae met with national team colleague Kim Young-hee for daily eight-hour training sessions, underwent physical therapy three times a week, and attended a jazz class twice a week to improve her dancing skills and expressiveness in performing exercises.
On December 21, Song Young-jae gave an interview to “Y News,” Yonhap Agency's cable news channel, in which she expressed her determination to become one of the top ten gymnasts and compete in the finals in London.
On December 26, Choi Gwang-sik, Minister of Sports, Culture and Tourism, invited Song Young-jae and her mother to the ministry to congratulate the athlete on her achievements in rhythmic gymnastics and talk about her Olympic aspirations.
“I haven’t missed a single one of your performances,” Choi Gwang-sik told the gymnast. – Like all Koreans, I watch your performances with bated breath. We are so proud of you and how you qualify for the Olympics."
“In order to gain recognition in the gymnastics world, I need to work harder, motivating myself to continue competing in various international competitions,” Song Young-jae said, thanking the minister for his support.
Song Young-jae has been praised for her exceptional agility, flexibility and balance, as well as her skillful handling of the ball used as an implement in the sport. The scores show that she needs to raise her GPA by at least, by 27 points to reach the final round at the London Games.
Song Young-jae first entered the gymnastics arena in 2009, becoming the first Korean three-time champion at the international junior championships. A pretty girl with a charming smile and blush on her cheeks aroused the interest of many Koreans in rhythmic gymnastics, a sport previously unknown to them.
In 2010, Song Young-jae won the bronze medal in the individual all-around at the Guangzhou Asian Games final and became the first Korean athlete to win a medal in rhythmic gymnastics since the sport was first adopted as an official event in 1994 at the Asian Games. in Hiroshima.
“Many Koreans are more interested in rhythmic gymnastics than before, but there is still great potential for growth,” Song Young-jae added at a meeting with Minister Choi Gwang-sik. – In Korea, I often have to train myself, and besides, we don’t have many gyms with necessary equipment, except those at my school. I hope that more people they will love this sport, and together we will be able to admire rhythmic gymnastics.”
Name: Yuk Song 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!”
In the team championship, the Korean team was just a little short of getting on the podium, and in the individual all-around, Son showed a high score in the final and won a bronze medal at the Asian Games. At the 2011 World Championships, Young Jae was a little short of finishing in the top ten in the individual all-around. Also, Son as part of the Korean national team became 8th in the group exercise.
At the Summer Olympics, 18-year-old Young-jae made her debut in 2012 in London. According to the results of the qualifying round in the individual all-around, the Korean gymnast showed the 6th result. In the finals, Son was able to improve her result and took the final 5th place, while she showed 3rd result in exercises with a ball and ribbon. In 2013, at the World Championships in Kyiv, she was able to make it to the finals of individual exercises for the first time, but she never managed to take a place higher than 6th. According to the results of the individual all-around, the Korean gymnast took a high 5th place. At the home Summer Asian Games in Incheon, the South Korean team with Son Young-jae in its composition took second place in the teams, losing to rivals from Uzbekistan, but in the individual all-around, Son confidently won the gold medal. The 2014 World Championships in Izmir, Turkey turned out very well for Young Jae. According to the results of the individual all-around, the Korean gymnast remained 4th, losing only to two Russians and Ukrainian Anna Rizatdinova. Son was able to take revenge for her failure in the all-around in the hoop exercise, where she managed to beat Rizatdinova and become a bronze medalist. This award was the first in the history of South Korea at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.
At the 2016 Olympics, Song came close to becoming a medalist in the all-around. The Korean went through the qualifying round quite confidently, taking fifth place. In the finals, Son showed third results in two of the four exercises, and fourth in two more. Nevertheless, the stability in the results did not allow Son Young-jae to get into the top three. According to the results of the competition, the Korean gymnast took 4th place, only 0.7 points behind the bronze medalist of Ukraine, Anna Rizatdinova. Son also has 11 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals from the Asian Championships.
In February 2017, Son Young-jae announced the end of her sports career.
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