Son Yeon-jae punches ticket to 2012 London Olympics

Published : Sept 24, 2011 - 15:20 Updated : Sept 24, 2011 - 15:20

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae won a place at the 2012 London Olympic Games on Friday,giving the country a rare chance to join the Olympic women'sgymnastics event for the second games in a row.

The 17-year-old rising gymnast star scored a 107.75 in the individual all-around final at the 2011 World Rhythmic GymnasticsChampionships in Montpellier, France, finishing 11th among 24finalists.

The result at the all-around competition composed of the hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon put her among the 15 finalists qualified tojoin the rhythmic gymnastics event for next year's Olympics.

Son scored a 26.625 in the hoop, a 27.075 in the ball, a 27.150

in clubs and a 26.9 with the ribbon.

Son’s advance to the Olympic Games, which will be her debut in the world event, marks the second time in a row that a South Koreanrhythmic gymnast has qualified for the international sports event.

Shin Soo-ji made it to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, in which she finished 12th in the rhythmic gymnastics all-aroundcompetition.

In the preliminaries at the French championships, Son came out in 14th among 122 competitors, but she advanced her rank in thefinal with her near-perfect handling of the ball and clubs.

The rhythmic gymnastics national junior champion stunned the country in 2010 when she won a bronze medal in the individualall-around final event in rhythmic gymnastics at the GuangzhouAsian Games in China.

Russia’s Evgenia Kanaeva won the gold medal with a 116.650 score in the rhythmic gymnastics all-around event at the worldchampionships, which runs from Sept. 19-25. (Yonhap News)