Son Yeon-jae, a South Korean rhythmic gymnast, took home two silver medals at the International Gymnastics Federation World Cup in Pesaro, Italy on Sunday as she prepares for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
At the World Cup in Pesaro, Italy -- the season’s third FIG World Cup, Son has garnered a score of 18.550 points in both the club and ribbons apparatus final. Russian rhythmic gymnast Margarita Mamun acquired the title in clubs after finishing with a sky-high score of 19.100, while Ukrainian Gymnast Ganna Rizatdinova achieved the ribbon gold medal with a score of 18.600. Also in the ribbon event, Son tied with Russian gymnast Dina Averina for the silver with a score of 18.550.
Earlier Sunday, Son obtained the fourth place in the ball event and sixth in the hoop apparatus.
After winning the title in the individual all-around by finishing with a score of 76.450 points on Saturday, the three-time world individual all-around champion Yana Kudryavtseva chose not to participate in the apparatus finals as she decided to rest. The Pesaro World Cup was the first FIG World Cup appearance of the 18-year old Russian gymnast this season after recovering from an ankle injury.
The competition in the Adriatic Arena was the first and most difficult challenge for Son this season as she had to compete with the world’s top-ranked rhythmic gymnasts such as Kudryavtseva and Mamun for the first time at the World Cup.
Son has failed to reach the podium in the individual all-around on Saturday. However, she still managed to post a career-high score of 73.900 points to grab the fourth place.
Son has successfully earned medals at every FIG World Cup this season. In the Espoo World Cup in February, she won the gold medal in the ball event, silvers in the all-around and ribbon, and a bronze in the hoop apparatus. Last month, at the Lisbon World Cup, the South Korean gymnast took the second place in the ball and clubs, and finished third in the hoop event.
However, as the finest rhythmic gymnasts are anticipated to develop their skills further in preparation for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio this August, Son is expected to come up against more difficult challenges in the succeeding competitions.
The 21-year-old Korean gymnast, who was placed fifth in the individual all-around event of the 2012 London Olympics, will travel back to South Korea tomorrow ahead of the national team qualification for Rio on Saturday at Tenaeung National Training Center in Seoul. Before participating at the fourth FIG World Cup this season in Tashkent in May, the South Korean gymnast is expected to enhance her routine and techniques against more challenging opponents.
Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun is acknowledged as the gold medal favorites for the Rio Olympic Games, as they have already proven themselves by displaying their dominance at the past World Championships in the recent years. While their compatriot Aleksandra Soldatova, who has topped the individual all-around in the first two World Cups this season, was absent at the Pesaro World Cup, Rizatdinova took the opportunity to become solid in the Adriatic Arena.
The Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast, who grabbed the bronze medal in the individual all-around final on Saturday, has successfully collected gold medals in ball and ribbon, while also winning a silver medal in the hoop apparatus. Her only downfall was the club event, where she was placed 9th with 16.200 points.
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