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The impressive profile of Woo Hee-jun (29), a female national representative competing in Kabaddi at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is making headlines.
Kabaddi, hosted by India, is a sport that combines elements of tag and martial arts, with two teams of seven players each competing. Attacking players enter the opposing team’s territory to touch or grab defensive players and return to their own side to earn a point. When crossing into the opponent’s territory, attacking players must repeatedly chant the word “Kabaddi,” which means holding one’s breath in Hindi.
Competing in this lesser-known sport, Woo Hee-jun is aiming for a medal while proudly sporting the Korean emblem. After graduating from high school, Woo Hee-jun initially worked as an interpreter at the Korea Tourism Organization for six months. However, in search of broader experiences, she decided to resign and embarked on a journey to India. During her time there, she played Kabaddi with children on the streets and nurtured her dream of becoming a national representative. Upon returning to Korea, she inquired with the Kabaddi Association in Busan and began training, setting herself on the path to becoming an athlete.
In 2018, Woo Hee-jun made her debut as a national representative at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Although she didn’t secure a medal at the time, she achieved a historic milestone by finishing in 5th place, the best performance by a Korean team in the tournament’s history.
Woo Hee-jun boasts a unique background as a former Miss Korea winner and an ROTC officer. In 2016, while attending Ulsan University, she applied for the Miss Korea pageant in 2019 as a result of a prank by her juniors. Surprisingly, she made it through a competition was selected against a 700-to-1 odds. Subsequently, she represented Korea in the international beauty pageant “Miss Earth.” Initially caught off guard by her juniors’ prank when she applied for Miss Korea, she later decided to participate, seeing it as an opportunity to raise awareness for the unpopular sports, Kabaddi.
After graduating from Ulsan University, Woo Hee-jun was commissioned as an officer in the ROTC 59th class in 2020. Starting from 2021, she served with the International Peace Supporting Standby Force of the ROK Army Special Forces. During this period, she also worked as an interpreter officer and participated in a deployment to Lebanon. Even during her military service, she continued to introduce Kabaddi to her fellow soldiers. In pursuit of her dream to represent her country, she completed her service in June as a lieutenant.
Now, after a four-year absence, Woo Hee-jun is back in the national team and is undergoing intense training in Busan with the goal of winning the gold medal at the upcoming 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The 19th Hangzhou Asian Games were initially scheduled for 2022 but were postponed to this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will begin on August 23rd and conclude on October 8th.
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