Jeonghun Joo

Started: He took up Para taekwondo at age 23 in Changwon, Republic of Korea. (Athlete, 27 Oct 2023) Reason: He originally competed in non-Para taekwondo after getting involved in the sport in grade two of primary school. He decided to switch to Para taekwondo following encouragement from coach Jin Cheon-Soo, who told him that the sport was included in the programme for the 2020 Paralympic Games. "Although I didn't know anything about the Paralympics and Para taekwondo at all, it was the right decision to come back to where I should belong." (paralympic.org, 23 Sep 2020; Athlete, 12 Sep 2020) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Athlete, 27 Oct 2023; hani.co.kr, 14 Jun 2024) Milestones: He became the first Para taekwondo athlete representing the Republic of Korea to win a gold medal at the Asian Para Games by claiming victory at the 2022 Games in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Dec 2023; donga.com, 25 Oct 2023) He became the first Para taekwondo athlete representing the Republic of Korea to win a medal at the Paralympic Games by claiming a bronze medal at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Dec 2023; donga.com, 25 Oct 2023)