Yeo Hong-chul

Yeo Hong-Chul
Personal information
Born (1971-05-28) May 28, 1971 (age 53)
Gwangju, South Korea
Height5 ft 4+12 in (164 cm)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented South Korea
LevelSenior
Eponymous skills"Yeo I" and "Yeo II" in vault
Retired2000

Yeo Hong-Chul (Korean여홍철; Hanja呂洪哲; RRYeo Hong-cheol; born 28 May 1971 in Gwangju) is a retired South Korean gymnast. He participated in three Olympics, winning a silver medal, and retired after the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Career

Yeo won the silver medal in the vault event at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He also participated in 1992 Summer Olympics, 1994 Asian Games, 1998 Asian Games and 2000 Summer Olympics. After the 2000 Summer Olympics, he announced his retirement. He has two vault skills named after him. His daughter would later conceive her own eponymous FIG-recognized vault skill by combining the "Yeo I" and "Yeo II".[1][2]

He competed on the Japanese obstacle course show, Sasuke, four different times (7th, 8th, 11th, 12th tournaments), but failed to clear the first stage every time.

After retiring, Yeo earned his doctorate degree at Korea National Sport University.[3][4] He is a professor at Kyung Hee University's College of Physical Education.[5] His research has largely been focused on the kinetic motions of elite athletes.[6]

He served as a commentator for KBS's domestic broadcasts of artistic gymnastics events at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

Yeo is married to former artistic gymnast Kim Chae-eun (formerly Kim Yoon-ji), who also competed at the 1994 Asian Games and won a bronze medal in the team event. They have two daughters and remain involved in sports; besides lecturing, Yeo has been a guest commentator for gymnastics competitions while Kim is in an administrative role in the Korean Gymnastics Association.[7] Their younger daughter, Yeo Seo-jeong, is also an Olympic medalist on vault, having won a bronze medal in the 2020 Olympic vault final.[8]

Filmography

Television shows

Year Title Network Role Notes Ref.
2022 Operation Time KBS2 Host [9]

References