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Kim Ji-Yeon

Kim Ji-yeon
김지연
Kim Ji-yeon 2014 Orleans Sabre Grand Prix t151932.jpg
Personal information
Country represented  South Korea
Born (1988-03-12) 12 March 1988 (age 28)
Busan, South Korea
Weapon(s) Sabre
Hand Left
Height 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 57 kg (126 lb)
Years on national team 2009–present
Club Iksan City Government Fencing Club
Head coach(es) Lee Soo-geun

Kim Ji-yeon (Hangul: 김지연; Korean pronunciation: [kim.dʑi.jʌn] or [kim] [tɕi.jʌn]; born 12 March 1988 in Busan) is a South Korean sabre fencer.

She is the 2012 Olympic Champion in the Women's Sabre Individual Fencing. Kim is the first South Korean woman to win an Olympic gold medal in fencing and the second South Korean female fencer to win any Olympic medal after Nam Hyun-hee, who won silver in 2008. She is also the second South Korean fencer to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics, following male foil fencer Kim Young-ho.

Kim began fencing at age 13 as a foil fencer, but converted to sabre in high school at age 16 in 2004.

Although she first became a member of the South Korean national fencing team at the age of 18 in 2006, Kim was often overshadowed by fellow sabre fencers Kim Hye-lim, Lee Shin-mi and Kim Keum-hwa, omitted from the final national squad before becoming a fixture in the 2011 season.

Kim began to garner international attention at the 2011 Summer Universiade where she won the bronze medal in the women's individual sabre fencing. In the semifinals, Kim lost to two-time European champion and eventual gold medalist Olha Kharlan of Ukraine 15-10. She accumulated another bronze medal in the women's team sabre as a member of Team South Korea. Kim finished the 2011 season as her first full-time member of the national team, and her FIE ranking rose from 174 to 11.


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