2012 London Olympics – Gymnastics: UFO spotting leaves South Korean Son Yeon-jae red faced

Aug 10 (Reuters) – There were plenty of multi-coloured ribbons and florescent clubs flying through the air at Wembley Arena on Friday but when South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae was out to impress the judges with her juggling act, a UFO was suddenly spotted.

Was it a piece of confetti, or a small bouquet of flowers thrown in by an admirer in the audience? No it was Son’s ballet shoe that had gone flying off her feet as she performed a fast-paced pirouette during her crowd-pleasing Olympic clubs routine.

Looking rather sheepish, she reclaimed the runaway shoe at the end of her performance and a score of 26.350 made sure she stayed in the running for a medal as she made the cut for Saturday’s final, which will feature the top 10 qualifiers.

“I was very embarrassed as it’s never happened to me before,” the 18-year-old, still a little red-faced from the episode, told reporters after finishing sixth.

“I got a little tense and started sweating and the shoe simply slipped off.”

Leading the way was 2008 champion

via Olympics-Gymnastics-UFO leaves South Korean red faced | Reuters.