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| KIM Ji-Yeon |
| NOC |
Republic of Korea
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born |
12 Mar 1988
in Busan, KOR
|
| Height | 1.65 m |
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Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
Seoul Metropolitan Government: Republic of Korea |
| Name of coach |
Jeon Hee-Sook [club], KOR; Lee Kook-Hyun [national], KOR |
| Handedness |
Left |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began fencing as a middle school student in Busan, Republic of Korea. |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete |
| Languages |
Korean |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
Her physical education teacher in middle school encouraged her to try fencing. She switched from foil to sabre after starting high school as coach Lee Su-Geun suggested that her style would work well in sabre. "I'm quite energetic so I was happy with the switch to an event which is dynamic." |
General Interest |
| Awards and honours |
In 2019 she was presented with the Order of Sports Merit Cheongnyong [Blue Dragon] Medal in the Republic of Korea. (todayan.com, 15 Oct 2019)
She was a torch bearer in the torch relay ahead of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (imnews.imbc.com, 20 Dec 2017)
In 2016 she was named Female Fencer of the Year by the Korean Fencing Federation. In 2011 she was named Fencer of the Year by the Korean Fencing Federation. (sports.khan.co.kr, 20 Dec 2016; sjbnews.com, 14 Feb 2012)
She received the Athlete of the Year award at the 2013 Jeonbuk Athletic Awards Ceremony. In 2012 she won the Yungok Women's Sports Award. (news-y.co.kr, 23 Dec 2013; naver.com, 10 Dec 2012) |
Further Personal Information |
| Higher education |
Health Studies, Sport Studies - Wonkwang University: Iksan, KOR |
General Interest |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Don't give up. Knock on the right doors. You can always get to where you want to be." (inews24.com, 31 Oct 2014) |
| Injuries |
In February 2020 she underwent surgery on an injury to her left Achilles tendon. (news.kmib.co.kr 27 Jan 2021; Lee Dong-Jin Instagram profile, 21 Mar 2020, 20 Mar 2020)
She sustained an injury to her pelvis in 2015. She was troubled by the injury again during her semifinal bout in individual sabre at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. (news.joins.com, 19 Apr 2018; gnnews.co.kr, 14 Jan 2016) |
| Famous relatives |
Her husband Lee Dong-Jin has worked as an actor in the Republic of Korea. (isplus.live.joins.com, 09 Mar 2020; Lee Dong-Jin Instagram profile, 29 May 2019; huffingtonpost.kr, 22 Sep 2017) |
Further Personal Information |
| Family |
Husband Lee Dong-Jin [2017] |
General Interest |
| Milestones |
She and her teammates Choi Soo-Yeon, Seo Ji-Yeon, and Yoon Ji-Su became the first Korean women's team to win a medal in team sabre at the Olympic Games when they claimed bronze at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Apr 2022; kihoilbo.co.kr, 23 Mar 2022)
She became the first female fencer representing the Republic of Korea to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games by claiming victory in individual sabre at the 2012 Games in London. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Jun 2018; news1.kr, 16 May 2013) |
| Hobbies |
Blogging, mountain climbing. (Instagram profile, 05 Oct 2020; Naver blog, 29 May 2020) |
| Most influential person in career |
Her husband Lee Dong-Jin. (chosun.com, 02 Aug 2021) |
| Nicknames |
The Fencing Beauty (newsis.com, 01 Jan 2021) |
| Other information |
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
She considered retiring from international competition after winning bronze in individual sabre and gold in team sabre at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. However, she decided to continue competing ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and later announced her plans to retire after the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. "I was thinking to retire from competitive fencing after winning bronze in team sabre at the 2020 Olympics, as my husband and I have considered having a baby. However, as the 2022 Asian Games is only one year away [speaking in 2021], I thought that I would regret it if I didn't compete there. Therefore, I will wrap up my sporting career after the 2022 Asian Games." (newsen.com, 30 Nov 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 06 May 2021; news.kmib.co.kr 27 Jan 2021; newsis.com, 01 Jan 2021) |
| Olympic Games |
| 2020 |
3 |
Team Sabre |
Tokyo, Japan |
| 2016 |
Final 5-6 |
Team Sabre |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 2012 |
1 |
Individual Sabre |
London, England |
| World Championships |
| 2019 |
3 |
Team Sabre |
Budapest, Hungary |
| 2018 |
3 |
Team Sabre |
Wuxi, China |
| 2017 |
2 |
Team Sabre |
Leipzig, Germany |
| 2013 |
3 |
Individual Sabre |
Budapest, Hungary |
| Asian Championships |
| 2022 |
1 |
Team Sabre |
Seoul, Republic of Korea |
| 2019 |
2 |
Team Sabre |
Tokyo, Japan |
| 2019 |
3 |
Individual Sabre |
Tokyo, Japan |
| 2018 |
1 |
Individual Sabre |
Bangkok, Thailand |
| 2018 |
2 |
Team Sabre |
Bangkok, Thailand |
| 2017 |
1 |
Individual Sabre |
Hong Kong, China |
| 2017 |
2 |
Team Sabre |
Hong Kong, China |
| 2016 |
3 |
Individual Sabre |
Wuxi, China |
| 2015 |
1 |
Team Sabre |
Singapore, Singapore |
| 2015 |
3 |
Individual Sabre |
Singapore, Singapore |
| 2014 |
1 |
Individual Sabre |
Suwon, Republic of Korea |
| 2013 |
1 |
Individual Sabre |
Shanghai, China |
| 2011 |
1 |
Team Sabre |
Seoul, Republic of Korea |
| 2011 |
5 |
Individual Sabre |
Seoul, Republic of Korea |
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