Lee Jung-Su
Encyclopedia
Lee Jung-Su (born November 30, 1989) is a South Korean short track speed skater
. He is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2010 Winter Olympics
.
Lee won one distances and became second overall at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bolzano. He won 2009-2010 Overall World Cup. At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver
, Lee won two gold medal in the 1000m and 1500m events.
. Lee's father, Lee Do-won is a department manager at the Kyunghyang Sinmun newspaper. Lee's family members are devoted Buddhists. Lee started skating as a hobby in 2002 when he was in fourth grade at Seongok Elementary School. The school in the neighborhood of Wolgye-dong
, Nowon-gu
, Seoul
is located next to the ice rink
at Kwangwoon University
. Lee's older sister, Lee Hwa-yeong was a figure skater regarded as a rising rookie, who won an elementary competition at the Korean National Sports Festival
when she was in 6th grade. During the time, Lee's coach recommended Lee to be a professional skater. As Lee's school established a skating team, Lee joined it. Two years later, He switched from long track speed skating
to short track speed skating
.
On the other hand, Lee's parents had a financial difficulty in supporting their children's dream. They had to spend over 2,000,000 won
(approximately 1,736 dollars) per month for the fees of skating lessons, purchasing skating tools and renting exercising locations. Although Lee's parents worked together, spent all savings and even sold paddy field
s in a countryside to support their children, that was not enough to cover all. They finally had to loan mortgages on their house where the family was living. However, Lee's sister eventually gave up due to the financial situation and tried to seek her future in other sport genres that cost less money for training such as inline skating
and wakeboarding
. The fact that his sister had to drop her dream has stimulated Lee Jung-Su to focus on the skating training.
Lee graduated from Gwangmun High School, and is, as of 2010, attending Dankook University
.
Lee has been handed a 3-year ban along with his team mate Kwak Yoon-Gy for controversial foulplay. Lee had written a note stating that he was not fit to compete in the World Championships 2010 Sofia, because of an injury. This turned out to be not true, and Lee admitted that his coach forced him to pull out so that he could give fellow team mate Kwak Yoon-Gy a chance to win a medal. Kwak Yoon-Gy went on to win Gold in the 1500m.
Winter Olympic Games
Short track speed skating
Short track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters skate on an oval ice track with a circumference of 111.12 m...
. He is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
.
Lee won one distances and became second overall at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bolzano. He won 2009-2010 Overall World Cup. At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Lee won two gold medal in the 1000m and 1500m events.
Early life and education
Lee was born in 1989 as the 25th generation of the Injegong branch in the Hansan Lee clanLee (Korean name)
Lee is the common English spelling of 이 , a common Korean family name. The proper pronunciation in South Korea is like the English letter "E", although in North Korea the name is still written as "리" and pronounced "Lee". Many times South Koreans will knowingly introduce themselves as "Lee" to...
. Lee's father, Lee Do-won is a department manager at the Kyunghyang Sinmun newspaper. Lee's family members are devoted Buddhists. Lee started skating as a hobby in 2002 when he was in fourth grade at Seongok Elementary School. The school in the neighborhood of Wolgye-dong
Wolgye-dong
Wolgye-dong is a dong, neighbourhood of Nowon-gu in Seoul, South Korea.-External links:* *...
, Nowon-gu
Nowon-gu
Nowon-gu is a residential district of Seoul, South Korea, Located in the northeastern part of the metropolitan city. It has the highest population density in Seoul, with 619,509 people living in the area of 35.44 km²....
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
is located next to the ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
at Kwangwoon University
Kwangwoon University
Kwangwoon University is a private research university in Seoul , South Korea. Kwangwoon University has been recognized for Its academical reputation in engineering and IT fields...
. Lee's older sister, Lee Hwa-yeong was a figure skater regarded as a rising rookie, who won an elementary competition at the Korean National Sports Festival
Korean National Sports Festival
The Korean National Sports Festival is an annual sports competition held in South Korea.For a full week each October, about 20,000 athletes representing 16 cities and provinces throughout the country compete in about 40 separate sports. The site rotates among the major cities, including Seoul,...
when she was in 6th grade. During the time, Lee's coach recommended Lee to be a professional skater. As Lee's school established a skating team, Lee joined it. Two years later, He switched from long track speed skating
Long track speed skating
Speed skating is an Olympic sport where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as short track speedskating, inline speedskating, and quad speed skating are also called speed skating...
to short track speed skating
Short track speed skating
Short track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters skate on an oval ice track with a circumference of 111.12 m...
.
On the other hand, Lee's parents had a financial difficulty in supporting their children's dream. They had to spend over 2,000,000 won
South Korean won
The won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates...
(approximately 1,736 dollars) per month for the fees of skating lessons, purchasing skating tools and renting exercising locations. Although Lee's parents worked together, spent all savings and even sold paddy field
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
s in a countryside to support their children, that was not enough to cover all. They finally had to loan mortgages on their house where the family was living. However, Lee's sister eventually gave up due to the financial situation and tried to seek her future in other sport genres that cost less money for training such as inline skating
Inline skating
Inline skating is a recreational sport practiced widely internationally. Inline skates typically have 2 to 5 polyurethane wheels, arranged in a single line. The in-line design allows for greater speed than roller skates and better maneuverability...
and wakeboarding
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
. The fact that his sister had to drop her dream has stimulated Lee Jung-Su to focus on the skating training.
Lee graduated from Gwangmun High School, and is, as of 2010, attending Dankook University
Dankook University
Dankook University is a private university in South Korea. Dankook University has been constantly recognized as one of top universities in Asia ranked 148th in Asia by QS Asian Universities Ranking in 2010...
.
Lee has been handed a 3-year ban along with his team mate Kwak Yoon-Gy for controversial foulplay. Lee had written a note stating that he was not fit to compete in the World Championships 2010 Sofia, because of an injury. This turned out to be not true, and Lee admitted that his coach forced him to pull out so that he could give fellow team mate Kwak Yoon-Gy a chance to win a medal. Kwak Yoon-Gy went on to win Gold in the 1500m.
Career highlights
ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships- 2008 – Bolzano, 2nd overall classification
- 1st at 500m
Winter Olympic Games
- 2010 – VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Gold at 1000m and 1500m