She doesn’t have much experience on the world stage, but she says she’s stronger on the big stage. The 16-year-old rookie received special advice from rhythmic gymnastics senior Son Yeon-jae ahead of the Asian Games. 스포츠토토
Reporter Oh Sun-min caught up with her.
[Reporter]
[Rhythmic gymnastics national selection trials/2022 March]
Even as she wiped away the sweat from her face, she smiled as if she’d done it before.
She finished the national selection with a relaxed expression, but later realized that she had broken her ribs.
[Son Ji-jin/Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team: It hurt when I walked and I couldn’t lie down properly. I didn’t know it was broken, so I felt like I could do it].
Despite the extreme pain, 16-year-old Son Ji-in, who earned her tai chi mark, says being on stage gives her strength she didn’t have before.
[Son Ji In / Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team: I think I’m a stage person. If I go to a good stadium, I think, ‘If I do a good performance in this place, I’ll feel so good.’]
Her resemblance to Son Yeon-jae, who won a gold medal at the Asian Games and a fourth-place finish at the Olympics, has been noted as one of the best performances in Korean rhythmic gymnastics history…
[Sohn Ji-in, Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team: I think we look a lot alike, and the commentator (overseas) said, ‘There’s an athlete who looks a lot like Son Yeon-jae.]
She heads to Hangzhou with a special tip from her mentor, Son Yeon-jae.
[Sohn Ji-in/ National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team: He (told me) that my expression and flow were a little lacking.]
She started rhythmic gymnastics by accident at the age of 6, when she dreamed of becoming a ballerina.
The skill I am most confident in is the ‘pointe turn’, which is an adaptation of ballet.
Recently, I succeeded in turning eight laps.