K-pop Idols Who Could’ve Been National Athletes [Updated 2022]
Numerous K-pop idols have shown their fantastic skills when it comes to singing, dancing, rapping, writing and producing music, and more. But not everyone is aware that there are also a lot of idols who excel as athletes. SBS holds its annual Idol Star Athletics Competition to show the physical abilities every idol has for their fans to support and everyone to see.
Here are some who actually are experienced in their field more than just a talent they own.
After School UEE - Swimming
UEE has proven her skills and talents over and over that she excels in swimming. She showed off her athletic abilities when she participated in the ISAC competitions and through her drama "Hogu's Love" back in the days. She developed her swimming skills before debuting.
Former MADTOWN Jota - Judo
Jota was also known as an athlete skilled in Judo, where he was reportedly studied in Dongji High School, an institution known to produce national-level judokas.
GOT7 Jackson - Fencing
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Jackson Wang is a former Fencing athlete for which he won in Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in 2011. He had a huge opportunity to compete in the Olympics and even had a scholarship at Stanford, but he decided to pursue his dreams and love for music and dance, for which he debuted as a member of GOT7.
Former CNBLUE Jonghyun - Judo
Judo seems to be a favorite sport for idols, and maybe, it's the cauliflower ears and multiple injuries that made Jonghyun decide to chase his passion for performing and quit the sport.
Jonghyun had an experience back in the day as he participated and won a Gold medal at a Junior High School Judo Competition back in his hometown Busan.
Apink Chorong - Hapkido
Before becoming a member of Apink, Chorong was already stealing hearts at hapkido competitions and gained experience for International Youth Martial Arts Cultural Exchange. Her father might have become a massive influence on choosing the self-defensive martial art, as he is an instructor at a hapkido academy and helped Chorong excel in this field.
VIXX Leo - Soccer
Leo from VIXX also became a part of the Junior National Team 2004-2007 in soccer. The idol's love for the sport has been shown in various broadcasts in Korea, with his experience of playing soccer for four years at a game of national-level soccer.
Although we are in love with his beautiful voice, his innate ability for sports is awe-inspiring.
WOODZ - Soccer
Cho Seungyeon used to be a soccer player and a famous striker for two years. This idol learned soccer in Brazil when he was a sixth-grader to enhance his skills. He also became a part of the "S.C. Corinthians Paulista," which is a prestigious soccer club in the country.
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And so, when he debuted as a member of X1 in 2019, he was recognized by Brazilian news outlets and reported his success.
SEVENTEEN Hoshi - Taekwondo
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SEVENTEEN Hoshi, before debuting as a successful K-pop idol, was once a Taekwondo player, and this helped him enhanced his skills to become a good idol. Hoshi was an outstanding athlete. He even acquired a 4th-degree black belt. Due to this, he was inspired to become an idol who also needs discipline as a fundamental characteristic.
ITZY Yuna - Floorball
Yuna, from JYP Entertainment's ITZY, also used to be an ex-athlete as a floorball player for four years. She was an excellent player and indeed skilled in playing the sport that the National Assembly even awarded her.
Yuna was an active player who used to participate in a national competition and won most matches, which prove that she is a great player in this field.
Kim Yohan - Taekwondo
The nation's pick from Produce X 101 Kim Yohan used to be a professional Taekwondo player, who showed his strength and competitive spirit. Known as a genius all-rounder, he acquired his skills from his father, who's been playing Taekwondo for over ten years, which was eventually passed down to Yohan for three generations.
He studied in a prestigious taekwondo-specialized high school and continued his education in a university as an athlete of the same sport. As time goes by, the national youth athletic competition twice and became a national taekwondo player.
BTS Suga - Basketball
The rapper used to be a basketball player. Hence, his stage name was inspired by him being a "Shooting Guard" back in the days when he was actively playing basketball in Daegu.
Suga also showed off his fantastic skills in Idol Star Athletics Competition back in 2015 as a player.
EXO Baekhyun - Hapkido
EXO Baekhyun Hapkido athlete
EXO's main vocalist Baekhyun used to be a Hapkido athlete when he was younger. In his guest appearance on KBS2TV's "Cool Kiz on the Block" in 2015, the idol showed off his skills, even earning praises from the show's cast.
There, Baekhyun also revealed he learned Hapkido for nine years since grade school. He even competed in the national championships and won a gold medal.
Check out his guest apperance on the program here (start at 20:05).
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Eunice Dawson wrote this.
KpopStarz owns this article.
