Kim Hyeon-woo (Korean김현우, Korean pronunciation: [kim.ɦjʌn.u]; born November 6, 1988, in Wonju, Gangwon Province) is a male wrestler from South Korea. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kim won the gold medal in the 66 kg Greco-Roman wrestling final.

Kim Hyeon-woo
Personal information
Nationality South Korea
BornNovember 6, 1988 (1988-11-06) (age 36)
Wonju, Gangwon Province
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Sport
Country South Korea
SportWrestling
Weight class66–77 kg
EventGreco-Roman
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  South Korea
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 66 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 75 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Budapest 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Budapest 77 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Istanbul 66 kg
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Incheon 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta 77 kg
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 New Delhi 66 kg
Gold medal – first place 2013 New Delhi 74 kg
Gold medal – first place 2014 Astana 74 kg
Gold medal – first place 2015 Doha 74 kg
Korean name
Hangul
김현우
Hanja
金炫雨
Revised RomanizationGim Hyeon-u
McCune–ReischauerKim Hyŏn-u
IPAkim.ɦjʌn.u

Biography

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Kim began to train judo at the age of 9. However he converted his sport into wrestling in 2001.[1]

Kim first drew international attention in 2006 when he won the silver medal at the World Junior Wrestling Championships and the gold medal at the Asian Junior Wrestling Championships. Kim became a member of the South Korean senior national team in 2010 when he won the gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships.[1]

At the 2011 World Wrestling Championships, Kim won bronze for his first medal at a major competition. In the quarterfinal bout, he beat 2008 Olympic silver medalist Vitaliy Rahimov of Azerbaijan 2–0. In December 2011, Kim won the gold medal in the men's Greco-Roman 66 kg at the Pre-London Olympics Test Event.

At the 2012 Olympics, Kim edged out defending Olympic champion Steeve Guenot of France 2–1 in the semifinals. In the final, Kim beat Tamás Lőrincz of Hungary with 2-0 (1:0, 2:0) to give South Korea its first wrestling gold of the London Games.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Kim was defeated by Roman Vlasov of Russia in the round of 16 in the 75 kg division. He then defeated Yang Bin of China during the repechages and Božo Starčević of Croatia to win the bronze medal.[2] He was the flag bearer for South Korea during the closing ceremony.[3]

He competed in the 77 kg event at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kim has a hold on gold, ends wrestling's drought". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  2. ^ "Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  3. ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony". 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  4. ^ "2022 World Wrestling Championships Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
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