Lee Eun-ju (gymnast)

Lee Eun-ju (Hangul: 이은주, Hanja: 李恩宙; born March 5, 1999) is a South Korean female artistic gymnast who represents her nation at international competitions. She won the bronze medal in the team event at the 2015 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She competed at the 2016 Gymnastics Olympic Test Event and was chosen to represent her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics after their initial choice, Lee Go-im, was injured in training. Lee placed 53 in the all-around qualification, her best result being a 13.500 on the uneven bars.[1][2][3]

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.
Lee Eun-ju
이은주
Country represented South Korea
Born (1999-03-05) March 5, 1999
Shimonoseki, Japan
ResidenceSeoul, South Korea
Height4 ft 10 in (1.47 m)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
(South Korea national team)
Years on national team2015–present
ClubKangwon Physical Education High School
Head coach(es)Choi Myung-jin
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Asian Championships
2019 UlaanbaatarBalance beam
2019 UlaanbaatarFloor exercise
2015 HiroshimaTeam
2017 BangkokFloor exercise
2019 UlaanbaatarTeam
2019 UlaanbaatarUneven bars
Lee Eun-ju
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI Eun-ju
McCune–ReischauerRi Ŭn-ju

Lee came into the limelight during the 2016 Olympics after she took a selfie alongside North Korean gymnast Hong Un-jong.

Lee's mother is Japanese while her father is Korean. She was born in Shimonoseki, Japan and moved to South Korea in 2013.[4]

Career

Lee's senior international debut came at the Asian Championships in Hiroshima, Japan, where she helped South Korea win team bronze. She was passed over for the South Korean team for the World Championships that fall, but was named to the team for the Olympic Test Event the following April. South Korea placed eighth and did not qualify a full team to the Olympics.

Following the Test Event, she competed at the South Korean National Championships, winning uneven bars and balance beam gold, and all-around, vault, and floor exercise silver. She was initially named the alternate for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, until her compatriot Lee Go-Im suffered an injury in training. Lee was subbed in to take her place.

2016 Olympics

Lee competed in the first subdivision of qualifications, starting on floor exercise. She placed fifty-third in the all-around, fifty-seventh on uneven bars, sixty-eighth on floor exercise, and seventieth on balance beam.

Despite winning no medals, she made worldwide headline after captured on camera taking a selfie with her North Korean counterpart, Hong Un-jong.[5] A Reuters picture of the two smiling women was praised for capturing the spirit of the Games.[6] IOC President Thomas Bach called the selfie a "great gesture".[7]

Medal count
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2015Hiroshima Asian Championships
2016Rio de Janeiro Olympic Test Event8
South Korean Championships
2017South Korean Championships445
Bangkok Asian Championships667
World Championships22

References
  1. "South Korea's Lee Go-im Injured in Rio Training, Replaced by Lee Eun-ju".
  2. "2016 Olympic Athlete Biography - Lee Eun-Ju". Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  3. "2016 Gymnastics Olympic Test Event athletes - Lee Eun Ju" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  4. "Kankoku to Kitachōsen no joshi senshu, nakayoku jidori nettode wadai ni". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 10 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  5. Sang-hun, Choe (10 August 2016). "Putting Politics Aside, Korean Gymnasts Pose for Olympic Selfie". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  6. "North and South Korean gymnasts pose for Olympic selfie". BBC. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  7. "Rio 2016: South Korean gymnast 'awed' by selfie fame". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
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