On July 16, rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae (Sports Leisure ’13) won the silver medal in ball at the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia. Son, who was barely edged out by Russian gymnast Alexandra Merkulova for the gold, gave a flawless performance to Frank Sinatra’s famous song “My Way.” Son is the first South Korean to claim an individual medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the Summer Universiade. Prior to this year, the best Korean result in gymnastics was a team bronze medal in the 22nd Summer Universiade in 2003, when it was held in Daegu. After winning her silver medal in ball, Son preceded to take fifth place in clubs and seventh in ribbon. On July 20, Son left to begin training in Croatia. According to her management agency, IB World Wide, Son went to Orebic, Croatia with a group of Russian gymnasts to prepare for the final meet of the 2013 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series, which takes place August 17-18 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Son will then compete at the 2013 World Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics, which runs August 28-September 1 in Kiev, Ukraine. She is expected to return to Korea in early September.