Lee Won-hee

For the South Korean girl group member with the same birth name, see Wonhee.

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Won-hee (Korean: 이원희; born 19 July 1981) is a South Korean quadruple judo champion. Lee won the gold medal in the men's lightweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.^[1][2] He was the world champion in 2003.^[3] He also won the gold medal in 2006 Asian Games and 2003 Asian Judo Championships.

Lee Won-hee

Personal information
Nationality	South Korean
Born	(1981-07-19) 19 July 1981 (age 43) Seoul, South Korea
Education	Yongin University
Occupation	Judoka
Height	172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Spouses	Kim Mi-hyun (m. 2008–2012) Yun Ji-hye (m. 2018)
Korean name
Hangul	이원희
Hanja	李元熹
Revised Romanization	I Won-hui
McCune–Reischauer	Yi Wŏn-hŭi
Sport
Country	South Korea
Sport	Judo
Weight class	–73 kg
Rank	5th dan black belt
Now coaching	South Korea National Team (Women) Kim Jan-di, Jeong Bo-kyeong, Kim Seong-yeon, Kim Min-jeong, Bak Ji-yun
Achievements and titles
Olympic Games	(2004)
World Champ.	(2003)
Asian Champ.	(2003, 2006)
Highest world ranking	1st (2003, 2004)
Medal record Men's judo Representing  South Korea Olympic Games 2004 Athens ‍–‍73 kg World Championships 2003 Osaka ‍–‍73 kg Asian Games 2006 Doha ‍–‍73 kg Asian Championships 2003 Jeju ‍–‍73 kg Summer Universiade 2003 Jeju ‍–‍73 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF	11643
JudoInside.com	13491
Updated on 30 May 2023

He won his Olympic gold medal by way of Ippon against Vitaly Makarov of Russia with 9 seconds left. He was leading in the bout anyway, but had secured the win when he went in for Drop Seoi Nage and combined it with Kouchi gari to deliver Makarov onto his back with force. He was voted top judoka in the 2004 Olympics.^[4] Lee was renowned for his favourite technique Tai Otoshi.^[5]

Lee is arguably one of the best South Korean judokas ever to live.^{[6][according to whom?]} During his active career, he was nicknamed "Mr. Ippon" and "Grand Slammer" for his 48-game winning streak, of which, 43 were won by ippon.^[7] He lost to Wang Ki-chun in the qualifications for the 2007 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro and 2008 Olympics in Beijing.^[8]

Lee taught judo at his alma mater Yong In University.^[9] In 2015, he was promoted to head coach of the South Korean Women's Judo National Team.^[10]

Personal life

Lee attended Boseong Middle School.^[11] He is believed to have an IQ of 148.^[7]

In 2008, Lee married golfer Kim Mi-hyun,^[12] and they have a son, Yeseong.^[13] The couple divorced in 2012.^[14]

In 2018, Lee married South Korean table tennis player Yun Ji-Hye^[15] and have a daughter together.^[16][17]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2024	Physical: 100	Contestant	Season 2	[18]
2022	Gukttaeneun Gukttaeda (국대는 국대다)	Guest	Ep 13-14	[19]
2019	The Gentlemen's League	Guest	Ep 19	[20]
2016	King of Mask Singer	Contestant	Ep 83	[21]
	Cool Kiz on The Block	Coach	Ep 138-143	[22]
2015	Running Man	Contestant	Ep 271-272	[23]
	Cool Kiz on The Block	Coach	Ep 125-137	[22]

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Lee Won-hee". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
2. "Lee Won Hee brings Korea's first gold". The Chosun Ilbo. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
3. "Lee Won Hee celebrates his victory over Daniel". gettyimages.com. 2 October 2003. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
4. "Lee Won-hee selected as Athens top performer". The Chosun Ilbo. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
5. "Lee Won Hee Tai Otoshi Master". metavideos.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
6. "Korean Judo Excellence". reddragondiaries.com. 23 August 2013. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
7. "Lee Wonhee: Strong, Fast, Determined". english.donga.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
8. "2008 Korea Judo Championships". YouTube. 6 September 2015. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
9. "Running Man Ep 271". kshowonline.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
10. "Cool Kiz on the Block: Training with Song Daenam and Choi Minho". YouTube. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
11. "Cool Kiz on the Block: The First Official Match". YouTube. 3 November 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
12. "2008 Awards: Happiest News". seoulsisters.wordpress.com. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
13. "Cool Kiz on the Block: The First Judo Audition". YouTube. December 2015. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
14. "이원희 김미현 이혼이유는?...김미현 은퇴 이것때문에" [What is the reason for Lee Won-hee and Kim Mi-hyun's divorce?... Kim Mi-hyun retires because of this]. ggilbo.com (in Korean). 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
15. "이원희♥윤지혜 부부 득녀 "한판이, 태어나줘서 고마워"" [Lee Won-hee and Yoon Ji-hye have a daughter, "Han Pan-i, thank you for being born."]. SBS NEWS (in Korean). 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
16. "'국가대표 부부' 이원희♥윤지혜, 2월 결혼부터 7월 득녀까지[종합]" ['National couple' Lee Won-hee ♥ Yoon Ji-hye, from marriage in February to having a daughter in July [Comprehensive]]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 19 July 2020. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
17. "이원희 김미현 만남부터 헤어짐, 그리고 재혼까지" [Wonhee Lee and Mihyeon Kim From meeting to breaking up and remarriage]. ggilbo.com (in Korean). 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
18. 강선애 (26 February 2024). ""김동현·모태범→골든차일드 이장준"…'피지컬100' 시즌2, 출연자 100인 공개". SBS News (in Korean). Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
19. "'국대는 국대다' 이원희, 복귀전 일주일 전 '긴급 소집'…충격 발표" ['Gukttaeneun Gukttaeda' Lee Wonhee's, "urgent call" a week before his return...a shocking announcement]. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
20. "'뭉쳐야찬다' 이원희, 천하장사 이만기 상대로도 한판승" ['The Gentlemen's League' Lee Wonhee wins against Lee Manki, the worlds best player]. Edaily [ko] (in Korean). 27 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
21. "'저축맨' 유도 금메달리스트 이원희 등장, 박치+성대모사 무능력자 '예능 화수분' (복면가왕)" ['Savings Man' Lee Wonhee, gold medalist in Judo, appears on variety show (King of Mask Singer)]. 뉴스인사이드 (in Korean). 30 October 2016. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
22. "올림픽영웅 이원희-조준호, '예체능' 유도편 코치 투입". newsen (in Korean). 6 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
23. "'런닝맨' 김기태-이원희-정두홍 등 스포츠인 100명과 방송인 100명 승부전 예고" ['Running Man' 100 Sportsmen, including Kim Ki Tae, Lee Wonhee, and Jung Doohong, and 100 broadcasters will compete]. 뉴스인사이드 (in Korean). 30 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.

External links

• Lee Won-hee at the International Judo Federation
• Lee Won-hee at JudoInside.com
• Lee Won-hee at AllJudo.net (in French)
• Lee Won-hee at Olympedia
• Lee Won-hee at The-Sports.org
• Lee Won-hee at databaseOlympics.com (archived)