[Asian Games] Rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae finishes first in qualifying

South Korea's rhythmic gymnastics star Son Yeon-jae grabbed a berth for the individual all-round finals after finishing first in the qualifying round at the Asian Games on Wednesday.

She received a combined 71.732 points from the four apparatus of ball, hoop, ribbon and clubs in the individual qualification, edging Chinese rival Den Senyue with 70.183 points.

Anastasiya Serdyukova from Uzbekistan finished third with 68.315 points and her teammate Djamila Rakhmatova placed fourth with 68.299 points.

In the individual qualification, and also the final for the team event, the top 24 players participating in the qualifying round will compete at the individual finals slated for Thursday.

For the team event, South Korea won silver for the first time at the Asiads with 164.046 behind Uzbekistan which won the gold with 170.130 points. The bronze medal went to Kazakhstan with 162.581.

A team of four gymnasts performs 12 routines with the top 10 scores being tallied as the team score.

Son is the odds-on favorite at the Asian Games after finishing fourth in the world championships last week, with Deng placing fifth. She received bronze in the hoop to become the first Asian-born gymnast to share the podium at the world championships.

The 20-year-old marked the daily bests in all four routines.

Dressed in a glittering blue-and-white costume, Son started with the ball, welcomed by the roaring applause of the home fans.

Performing to "You Don't Give Up on Love" by Mark Minkov, she executed flawless throwing and catching with elegant spins to earn the daily best 17.831 points in the ball.

She then formed a heart shape and waved to the spectators.

Next, she came up with the hoop, which gave her the first-ever world championship bronze medal last week.

Son also posted 17.850 points for her clean performance to Ludwig Minkus's "Don Quixote," with 8.8 points in difficulty and 9.0 in execution.

In the ribbon, one of her best pieces, she delighted the crowd with remarkable skill and ability in making flips and spirals. Her score tallied 17.983.

In the clubs, she exercised a clean-looking routine to earn 18.016 points without missing a beat.

Son said she is not satisfied with the qualifying result.

"I'm happy that I finished my performances without big mistakes," she told reporters after the match. "At the final rounds, a new competition starts. I have to go again from the outset. I'll strain every nerve to bear fruit tomorrow."

Son added that she was encouraged by warm support and cheers of the home fans at the Asiad on home soil, where she could feel a lot of pressure for better results.

"Strong support out there helped boost me to do my best," she said.

Speaking of her Chinese rival Deng, Son said she is a good friend in competitions.

"Deng is a good athlete. She's doing her best and I'm doing mine. Then, we can have better results," Son said.

In the earlier session of the qualifier, Deng received 17.700 in the clubs, 17.633 in the hoop, 17.550 in the ball and a lower

17.300 in the ribbon due to a small bobble. She finished second to move on to the final round after Son.

Son and Deng have encountered each other in many international competitions over recent years.

In the 2013 world championships, Deng finished fourth in the all-round finals, a notch higher than Son, but has been on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.

"I don't have any sense of rivalry with Son. She is a very good performer," said Deng, who left the gymnasium after finishing her qualification earlier in the afternoon. "She's doing equally well in all four apparatus, as I'm confident with clubs."

The 22-year old Chinese gymnast hinted at retirement after this year's Asiad.

"I caught a cold so I'm not at my best," said Deng, who arrived in Incheon earlier this week after wrapping up her world championship run. "This will be my last Asiad. I'll do my best. But I don't feel much pressure on the result this time. (Yonhap)