“I practiced hard every day until late at night, and I’m so happy that I got a good result.”

That’s how “rhythmic gymnastics fairy” Kim Da-eun (Dongbu Middle School, Hanam) felt after striking gold in rhythmic gymnastics at the 52nd National Student Games preliminary competition.

Kim won the girls’ all-around at Dongcheon Gymnasium in Ulsan, South Korea, on April 24 with a solid performance on hoop (24.650), bars 스포츠토토 (25.550), beam (24.050), and ribbon (22.450) for a total of 96.700 points, easily beating Seo Eun-chae (Daegu Joam Jung – 92.200).

Kim’s rhythmic gymnastics career began at the age of seven. She started figure skating at the age of 6, but her lack of flexibility led her to rhythmic gymnastics, and because she found it difficult to do two sports, she gave up figure skating and chose gymnastics.

Kim said, “At the last Boys’ Championships, I didn’t feel well during the selection process and didn’t perform well enough. This inspired me to work harder and win, so I prepared as best I could since last summer,” said Kim.

“Every day after school, I would go to a gym an hour away from my house to practice. After two hours of basics and warm-ups and four hours of work, I would finish around 11 p.m. I would stay alone and practice for another 30 minutes or more to perfect my moves and get a good score.”

Kim also said, “I will be participating in the Asian Championships and the World Championships. I hope to continue to work hard and compete in not only domestic but also global competitions to achieve good results like Son Yeon-jae and go to the Olympics.”

“I would like to thank my coach for teaching me until late at night and helping me achieve good results, and my mom for always dedicating herself to my physical condition, including massages,” he said.