S. Korean rhythmic gymnast arrives in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) — South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae arrived in Rio de Janeiro Monday, with an eye on a historic Olympic medal.

Son, who has been working out with the Russian national team in Sao Paulo since the start of this month, will begin her quest for South Korea’s first medal in rhythmic gymnastics on Friday.

Son has been training with the world’s two best rhythmic gymnasts, Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun.

“The competition is just around the corner, and I have to stay focused and keep working hard to get a good result,” said Son, who finished fifth in the individual all-around at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Just because I’ve experienced the Olympics once, it won’t mean the second Olympics will be any easier,” she added. “This is such a huge stage, and everyone has been training hard for this. And because I have worked hard for it also, I want to make sure I won’t have any regrets.”

Son will train twice a day starting Tuesday until the day of her competition.

“Since the Olympics will be the last competition of the season, I’d like to show everything I have in clean, mistake-free programs,” she said. “I think it’s helped me that I’ve been training in Brazil all along.”

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae arrives in Rio de Janeiro via Galeao International Airport for the Summer Games on Aug. 15, 2016.

Son has been training in Russia year-round since 2011, and also worked out with the Russians ahead of the London Olympics.

Son picked up 17 medals during the 2016 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, including a silver and a bronze each in the individual all-around. She’s ranked No. 5 in the world.

Kudryavtseva and Mamun are expected to continue their dominance in Rio after combining for seven all-around titles at 10 World Cup stops this season.

The world No. 3, Aleksandra Soldatova, isn’t competing in Rio because a country can field a maximum of two gymnasts in the all-around. That should leave Son and No. 4-ranked Ganna Rizatdinova of Ukraine to vie for bronze.

Son, 22, has been one of South Korea’s most popular and visible athletes for years, and a medal here will catapult her into a whole new level of stardom.