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
Personal information
NationalitySouth Korean
Born (1981-07-19) 19 July 1981 (age 43)
Seoul, South Korea
EducationYongin University
OccupationJudoka
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Spouses
Korean name
Hangul
이원희
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI Won-hui
McCune–ReischauerYi Wŏn-hŭi
Sport
CountrySouth Korea
SportJudo
Weight class–73 kg
Rank     5th dan black belt
Now coachingSouth Korea National Team (Women)
Kim Jan-di, Jeong Bo-kyeong, Kim Seong-yeon, Kim Min-jeong, Bak Ji-yun
Achievements and titles
Olympic GamesGold (2004)
World Champ.Gold (2003)
Asian Champ.Gold (2003, 2006)
Highest world ranking1st (2003, 2004)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  South Korea
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens ‍–‍73 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Osaka ‍–‍73 kg
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Doha ‍–‍73 kg
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Jeju ‍–‍73 kg
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2003 Jeju ‍–‍73 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF11643
JudoInside.com13491
Updated on 30 May 2023

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.

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]

  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.