Oh Hye-ri is the South Korean Taekwondo practitioner and a proud Olympian of her nation who became the third Korean to win an Olympic Gold Medal in Taekwondo after Lee Sun Hee and Hwang Kyung Seon.
For her, getting to the top was not as simple as you might expect. She did, however, win gold in her debut Olympic Games with her tremendous perseverance and indomitable spirit.
Let’s look at some facts about this woman who sliced as she passed through the dark cloud over the horizon.
Oh Hye-ri: Quick Facts
| Full name | Oh Hye-ri |
| Nickname | Duck |
| Birthdate | 30 April 1988 |
| Birthplace | Gangneung, South Korea |
| Residence | South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Religion | Not Known |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Age | 36 Years Old |
| Father’s name | Not available |
| Mother’s name | Not available |
| Sibling | 2 |
| Marital status | Married |
| Husband | Jeon Min Soo |
| Children | Jeon Lee Seo |
| Profession | Taekwondo Practitioner |
| Affiliation | Member of the Athletes Committee of the Korea Sports Association |
| Coach | Park Kye Hee |
| Height | 182 cm (6 feet 0 inches) |
| Weight | 69 kg ( 152 lbs) |
| Build | Athletic |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Slightly Brown |
| Language | Korean (Hangul) |
| Awards & Achievements |
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| Net Worth | $1.5 million |
| Social Media | |
| Last Update | December, 2024 |
Oh Hye-ri: Early Life
Hye-ri was born in Gangneung, on the east coast of South Korea. Her interest in taekwondo was ignited when she followed her school friend to the Dojang at eight years old.
Unfortunately, when she was ten years old, her father faced a tragic death. Her mother singlehandedly raised three daughters into beautiful women. She is the middle child in a family of two sisters.
Luckily her path toward taekwondo did not sway, and by the time she was fourteen, she had discovered talent nurtured through years of hardship and practice.
Oh Hye-ri: Age, Height & Weight
Oh Hye-ri is a slender and tall figure in a creamy white, standing at 182 cm. She has slightly brown long hair, slipping through the back to the shoulder blades while her small face resembles Asian ethnicity.
She is a woman of beauty with beautiful dark brown monolid eyes underneath the rounded brows rifted apart by the small nose.
Being an athlete demands a tremendous amount of work in their body, so it comes as no surprise that she has a very fit body for her height and weighs 69 kg. She was born on April 30, 1988, making her zodiac sign Taurus.
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Oh Hye-ri: Professional Career
Pre Olympic
She began competing in various competitions professionally since 14 years old. However, in the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing, China, she did not show much enthusiasm citing her skill was not mature enough to compete on that stage.
The next Olympic that she did sight on ended upon slipping beyond her reaches. She suffered through a deeply torn quad. However, she still pushed her luck and stood on the mat for the qualifying two weeks after the injury.
Given the arduous nature of the Olympics selection process and high level of competition, it was no surprise that she was eliminated when she couldn’t get an appropriate angle for the kicks with her swollen thigh. She was disappointed but not discouraged.
When she was as fit as a fiddle, she participated in the 2015 World Championship held in Chelyabinsk, Russia; her years of practice, sacrifices paid off as she went on winning the gold medal.
Olympics
Her long-run dream, a dream that is worth everything, she finally could participate in it. Olympic, as she yearned to win, was not easy despite being a world champion.
She continued to level up, but her final match was with France’s formidable Haby “The Abigator” Niare. The competition was so fierce that even the referee tried as hard as possible to avoid mistakes.
She was losing to Niare in the first round, but she was tenacious, and her concentration was too intense to let it go without a fight. Soon after, she began to launch and shoved French fighters backward.
The match went on, intensifying in the third round, both trying to feint each other and few kicks. The scoreboard flashed the point continuously, players giving their best at the top of their adrenaline; the match was remarkable.
However, there could only be one winner. When the dust settled and surroundings became more apparent, she realized how high the score had risen and how close the score had been 13-12.
That moment as the gush of August wind blew, the dove soared high in the sky, bringing the news Korea had added another gold to their collection.
Oh Hye-ri earned the name World and Olympic Champion Taekwondo player.
Post Olympic
Bringing gold to the nation, on the other hand, was not as joyous as she had anticipated. The general public’s apathy exacerbated her disappointment.
She stated that the general public did not like how athletes performed in the Olympics because they were not flamboyant and focused on winning than on entertaining.
Of course, the goal of an athlete’s years of hard work is to win, not to entertain others. However, she was deeply disappointed by the reaction of her fellow citizen to their indifferent response.
Furthermore, she stated how difficult and stressful it is to be a Taekwondo player in a country where taekwondo is the national sport. She said that their high expectations and ‘Korean must have’ perception have eclipsed their accomplishments and harsh criticism for failing to win a medal.
She stated, “If we get gold, they say, ‘well, you should have!’ If we don’t, they say, ‘what’s wrong with you?”
She hopes for the Korean people to recognize their effort and struggle and to treat them with kindness. Even though it is their national sport, the effort and difficulty are comparable to any other sport and require the same level of dedication and practice.
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Oh Hye-ri: Tokyo Olympics 2020
Life offers a variety of happiness in so many forms. Preparing to welcome new and most wonderful happiness into her and her close family’s lives, she could not compete in the Tokyo Olympic 2020 due to her pregnancy.
However, she attended as a moderator from South Korea, showcasing her outstanding communicative skills.
Oh Hye-ri: Husband & Child
She led her marital life and married Jeon Minsoo on December 12, 2020. Since Hye-ri prefers to keep her personal life confidential, little is known about how they met.
On September 9, 2021, precisely at 11:42 am, she brought her greatest happiness, her first child, Jeon Lee Seo, to this earth.
She really is a woman who is lucky in love and games.
Oh Hye-ri: Net Worth
Athletes, though, are physically and mentally tiring careers to pursuit. However, if one reaches nearly to the top, the net worth it provides would not be disappointing.
Oh Hye-ri’s net worth as a professional taekwondo player is estimated to be around $1.5 million. In addition to that, she lives in her own house.
To sum up, she lives a very satisfying life together with her small harmonious family.
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Oh Hye-ri: Social Media
Hye-ri is pretty much active on social media. Her Instagram account @oh_hyeri holds 6.4 thousand followers as of 2021.
She seems pretty outgoing, and we often found her posting about her meetup with friends, family gatherings, and competitions.
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs)
Who is Oh Hye-ri?
Oh Hye Ri is a South Korean Taekwondo practitioner and Olympian. She has made her country proud by earning gold in her debut Olympic Games in 2016.
