Jeon Ki-young
Never beaten at a World Championships or Olympics
- Born
- July 11, 1973, Cheongju, South Korea
- Nationality
South Korea- Height
- 179 cm (5′10″)
- Stance
- Left
- Style
- Drop-attack technician
- Weight
- 78 kg, 86 kg
- Active
- 1993–1997
- Status
- Retired · age 53
The record
Unbeaten at WorldsWon every World Championships (1993, 1995, 1997) and Olympic Games (1996) he entered; Wikipedia says he retired undefeated in both.
1996 Olympic gold, 3 straight world titles
The story
eon Ki-young, born in Cheongju, was known in judo circles as the 'Judo Genius' and is regarded in South Korea as one of its greatest champions. A left-hander who attacked with low drop throws, he won the 1993 world title at 78 kg by beating Japan's Hidehiko Yoshida in the final in Hamilton, Ontario. Two years later, now at 86 kg, he beat Canada's Nicolas Gill in the semi-final and Yoshida again in the final, faking a drop sode tsurikomi goshi before driving through with osoto gari. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics he won every bout by ippon except his first, against Mark Huizinga, and he retained his world title in 1997 before retiring as champion. He later became a professor at Yong-In University and an IJF refereeing official.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- Olympic champion, 86 kg (1996)
- World champion, 78 kg (1993)
- World champion, 86 kg (1995, 1997)
- Asian champion, 86 kg (1995)
- IJF Hall of Fame (2015)
Defining matches
- 1993WINvs Hidehiko Yoshida (World Championships 78 kg final, Hamilton)
- 1995WINvs Nicolas Gill (World Championships semi-final, two drop seoi nage scores)
- 1995WINvs Hidehiko Yoshida (World Championships 86 kg final, Chiba, osoto gari)
- 1996WINvs Armen Bagdasarov (Atlanta Olympic 86 kg final, ippon)
Jeon's drop attacks worked because he chained them: a drop sode tsurikomi goshi makes the opponent brace backward, which sets up a standing osoto gari. Build your low entries in pairs so the defence to one feeds the other.
