Son Yeon-Jae is more popular than Kim Yu-Na!!

Well, I stumbled across this article last week and couldn't help but share!  Although Son Yeon-Jae has never won an Olympic gold medal or even a World Championship medal, for that matter, she apparently is Korea's sweetheart--more so than the reigning Olympic champion in figure skating, Kim Yu-Na!  (It's because she's cuter!!)

Son is one of the most popular and visible athletes in South Korea, thanks to a series of appearances in television commercials. Last year, she was voted national athlete of the year in a survey, ahead of more accomplished athletes, such as such as Olympic swimming gold medalist Park Tae-hwan and reigning Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na.

For those who do not know, Son Yeon-Jae trains at Novogorsk just like Team Russia.

She takes selfies in her dorm room in Novogorsk, just like the other girls!

She even went with them to Croatia!

She is basically like an honorary member of the team (and is under the protection of Vinerstan)!

Dasha Kondakova, Dasha D, Zhenya, Yeon-Jae

Zhenya, Yeon-Jae, Dasha K, Dasha D

Nastia M, Blizia, Elena, Yeon-Jae, Ksyu, Nazar, Olga

Dasha K, ?, Dasha D, Yeon-Jae

Olga & Yeon-Jae

Zhenya, Yeon-Jae, Makar

In particular, she claims to have been quite close to Zhenya. They are both cuties, that's for sure!

OMG, so cute!!

Good luck at the World Championships!!

The girls are currently in Kiev competing at the World Championships!!  GOOD LUCK!!  UDACHI~!!

Top: Blizia, Nastia M, Nazar, Elena, Olga, Ksyu

Dmitri, Armina Zaripova, Rita & Yana K

It's really strange to see a world team without Zhenya, Dasha D or Dasha K though!
Before they left, Ul, Donechka, and Dasha Kukushkina went to Novogorsk to visit the group girls and wish them good luck.  How sweet!  (And of course they took some hilarious photos.)

Ksyu, Nastia M, Ul, Nazar, Blizia

Blizia, Nastia M, Ul

Ul, Blizia, Donechka

Blizia, Dasha Kukushkina, Ksyu

Please caption me 2!

These photos totally need captions (as these photos did earlier)...what do you all think??

Olga, Nazar, Nastia M, Lena, Ksyu, Nastia B

 Perhaps more importantly, why are they carrying vases?  Urns??
Viner [offscreen]: These are the ashes of the girls that failed to win the World Championships!!" 
Ksyu: What??!! Nooo!!!

Ul & Nastia B

I totally wonder what Blizia is saying...

The girls met with Putin!

I guess he made a speech to all the participants in the 2013 Universiade...?

Nastia M, Olga, Nazar, Putin, Rita, Blizia, Ksyu, Elena (where did Sasha go??)

(The height difference between Ksyu and Elena is so striking--HAHA!)
I love how the girls are sitting in the front row.  OF COURSE THEY ARE!

Nastia M and Ksyu on far right

Nastia M, Ksyu, Nazar on left; Blizia in the middle; Sasha, Rita, Olga near the far end

Nastia M, Ksyu, Nazar on the left; Blizia on the right.

(The guy on the aisle in the second row totally does NOT approve of all this photo-taking!)

Elena, Sasha, Rita, Olga

And of course, Madame Viner had to saw a few words...

Universiade round-up...

Here are some random photos/videos related to the Universiade that I haven't posted yet..
Homecoming!!

Olga, Ksyu, Nazar, Nastia M, Blizia

After the girls got back to Moscow, they attended some sort of official reception for all the athletes who competed...(OMG, Ksyu is so tall. LOL!)

Elena, Ksyu, Nazar, Blizia, Nastia M, Olga

...where Blizia spoke!

...and Nazar got a photo with Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko!

One more pic of Nazar with the Kazan snow leopard!

And here are some random photos from the competition...another disgustingly cute photo of Blizia hugging a little girl...

...and Zhenya with random people...

And some mini-vids from Ksyu at the airport:

Goodbye Kazan; hello Moscow!

Here are the last round of pics from the Universiade in Kazan!
At the closing ceremony...

Ksyu & Rita looking like it's graduation

Blizia

Nazar

Nastia M, Elena, Olga

...and just hanging out

Olga, Ksyu, Blizia, Elena, Nazar, Rita, Sasha

(Once again, I think it's hilarious that the group girls are always matchy-matchy, while the individual girls wear whatever they want!)

From top to bottom: Olga, Elena, Nastia M; Sasha, Nazar, Rita, Blizia; ?, Ksyu

Official mascot (snow leopard) & Nazar

Olga

Sasha, Nazar, Rita

Now the girls are back in Moscow!!  YAY!

Sasha, Rita

Ksyu, Blizia; Nastia M, Olga, Nazar

And, as usual, the group girls are up to their crazy antics... :)

Nastia M, Blizia, Nazar, Ksyu

Blizia, Nastia M, Nazar, Ksyu

And now the girls go crazy!

The competition in Kazan is over, so now the girls got their phones back (finally!) and have been making up for lost time.  FUN!!  I totally love these photos with the cut-out backgrounds!!

Ksyu, Nazar, Nastia M being hilarious

Blizia, Rita, Ksyu

Of course, they made a beeline for McDonald's...

...and took photos with the other athletes...

Ksyu, Sasha, ?, Nazar, ?, Nastia M

..and created a spectacle in the dining hall!
Download video: MP4 format
Original link here.
And here are some photos from the competition. Big congrats to my girls!! MOLODYETS~!

Top: Elena, Nastia M, Blizia, Nazar, Ksyu, Olga; Front: ?, Tatyana Sergaeva, Irina Zenovka, Armina Zaripova

Elena, Olga, Nastia M, Nazar, Blizia, Ksyu

Sasha, Rita, Ganna Rizatdinova after all-around competition