8 K-Pop Idols Who Used to Be Great Athletes! Is Your Idol One of Them?

Written by: Mutiara Riezky Maharani

Not only talented in singing and dancing, some K-Pop idols actually have an extraordinary past as professional athletes. Before gracing the stage and captivating fans, they have dedicated themselves to intense training and competing in various athletic events, achieving impressive accomplishments.

Some K-Pop idols who have a past as athletes may already be familiar to some fans. For example, Sunghoon ENHYPEN, Yohan WEi, and Jackson GOT7. All three of them have had outstanding achievements in the field of athletics before choosing to become idols.

1. Sunghoon ENHYPEN

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Sunghoon dedicates himself to diligently practicing ice skating. His dedication and hard work have paid off well. He has won various awards at the national and international level, including gold medals at the Asian Figure Skating Trophy and Lombardia Trophy. At the age of 16, he decided to switch careers and auditioned to become a trainee at Big Hit Music.

2. Jackson GOT7

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Jackson's love for fencing began at the age of 10. His father, a national fencing coach, introduced Jackson to the sport. Since then, Jackson has shown his talent and passion in fencing. He has won various awards at the national and international level, including a gold medal at the Asian Youth Fencing Championship and becoming a member of the Hong Kong national team. At the age of 17, he decided to switch careers and auditioned to become a trainee at JYP Entertainment.

3. Dita SECRET NUMBER

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Dita, whose real name is Anak Agung Ayu Puspa Aditya Karang, is a K-Pop idol from Indonesia. Before becoming an idol, Dita was a dancer who mastered various types of dances, one of which is the Pendet dance from Bali.

4. Woodz

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Woodz, or Cho Seungyoun, is a member of the group X1, but after the group disbanded, Woodz continued his career as a solo singer. Woodz once moved to Brazil after graduating from school to start training for soccer there. Eventually, Woodz was able to join the Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians.

5. Kazuha LE SSERAFIM

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Kazuha has been studying ballet since she was 3 years old. She successfully entered a prestigious ballet school that has produced many famous ballerinas. Kazuha has also won several prestigious awards in the Netherlands and Japan. Kazuha was invited to join Source Music (now HYBE) to debut in LE SSERAFIM without any special training.

6. Kim Yohan WEi

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Kim Yohan is one of the members of the group WEi and has appeared in the drama School 2021. He comes from a taekwondo athlete family. Kim Yohan has been a part of the South Korean junior taekwondo National team and received a scholarship at Sangmyung University for winning 2 championships at the National Youth Festival. However, due to a leg injury, Yohan was unable to continue his career and decided to pursue his other dream of becoming an idol.

7. Xiaoting Kep1er

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Shen Xiaoting is the only member of the girl group Kep1er from China. Before becoming a K-Pop idol, she was a professional dance athlete representing her country, China, in various international championships. She has won more than 50 medals and trophies in various ballroom dance competitions.

8. Key SHINee

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Key, or his real name Kim Ki Bum, is a member of the group SHINee who debuted in 2008. Before venturing into the world of singing, Key was a successful water ski athlete and ranked first nationally for two consecutive years.

(kpl/ara)