Soo Yeon Lee
Vorlage:Distinguish Vorlage:Infobox model
Soo Yeon Lee (Born May 22, 1981) is a South Korean model, table tennis player, coach and actress. She has featured in advertisement campaigns for a number of leading brands including Nike, Adidas, K-Swiss, Red Bull and Target.[1] Before beginning her modeling career in the United States, she played table tennis professionally in South Korea and won a total of six National Junior Championships.[2]
Early life and table tennis career
Lee was born in Busan, South Korea, where she began playing table tennis at the age of nine[3] and was competing six months after that.[2] The intensive training which came with her table tennis career meant giving up other interests like playing the piano.[4] One of her first coaches was former Olympic gold medalist Hyun Jung-hwa. She won her first National Junior Championship at the age of 12, eventually winning 5 more. Lee enrolled in Korea National Sport University where she was coached by Ahn Jae-hyung and joined the national team. In 2000, Lee won a silver medal at the World University Championships in Shanghai. While studying at the university, Lee earned degrees in sports psychology and physical education.[5][6]
In 2004, Lee decided to move to New Zealand to learn English. While in New Zealand, she was offered a spot on the national team but she declined.[4] Lee won the New Zealand Women’s Singles Championship and she was named New Zealand Female Sportsperson of the Year.[5][6] After a year in New Zealand, Lee returned to South Korea.[4]
Lee's next move was to the United States in 2007 while her sister was studying in Chicago, Illinois. Lee moved to Los Angeles, California where she enrolled in UCLA.[4] She won several tournaments in the United States, including the Killerspin Invitational in 2009.[5][6]
Modeling
Lee was discovered by modeling agents while at a mall shopping.[4] It was not until 2009, however, that her modeling career began to integrate her table tennis skills. In 2009, Lee attended the opening of Susan Sarandon's first table tennis club SPiN in New York City.[4] She later appeared with Sarandon on The Jay Leno Show[7][8] and has since been a brand ambassador for the company as it has expanded to other locations.[3][9] Lee has worked with a number of other clients including Target, Nike, Adidas, K-Swiss and Red Bull.[1]
In addition to Lee's modeling work, she has also acted in a number of roles. She was featured in an episode of the HBO show Entourage,[3] Keeping Up with the Kardashians,[10] a short film for Vogue Italia and other independent films.[4]
Coaching
Lee is a USA Table Tennis certified coach.[6] In addition to competitive players, she has coached a number of celebrities including Oliver Stone, Jamie Foxx, Mel Gibson, and Susan Sarandon.[11] She was also hired by the nation of Georgia to develop a program aimed at encouraging engagement in youth table tennis.[2]
References
- ↑ a b Soo Yeon Lee: Photos. Abgerufen am 7. Mai 2016.
- ↑ a b c May Lee: Soo Yeon Lee: Ping Pong passion. In: CCTV America. China Central Television, 4. April 2016.
- ↑ a b c Soo Yeon Lee: Table tennis has helped launch my career. In: USA Table Tennis Magazine. July/August. USATT, 2011, S. 48 (usatt.net [PDF; abgerufen am 7. Mai 2016]).
- ↑ a b c d e f g Vorlage:Cite episode
- ↑ a b c Ian Marshall: Soo Yeon Lee First Team Choice for Los Angeles Celebrity Tournament. In: ITTF News. International Table Tennis Federation, 30. April 2012, abgerufen am 7. Mai 2016.
- ↑ a b c d Christina Schmotolocha: Soo Yeon Bio and Interview - The Woman of Many Talents. In: LA Splash Magazine. Splash Magazines Worldwide, 30. Juli 2012, abgerufen am 7. Mai 2016.
- ↑ Vorlage:Cite episode
- ↑ Julie Miller: Jay Leno and Susan Sarandon Watch Scantily Clad Ping-Pong Champ Wipe Out: VIDEO. In: Movieline. PMC, 8. Dezember 2009, abgerufen am 8. Mai 2016.
- ↑ Vorlage:Cite AV media
- ↑ Catriona Wightman: Kardashians: Ping pong, jealousy and black toilet paper - week 7 recap In: Digital Spy, July 15, 2013. Abgerufen im May 8, 2016
- ↑ Yoo-jin Lee: 탁구선수 겸 코치에서 세계적인 모델 되기까지 이수연의 인생 역전 (deutsch: Soo Yeon Lee, table tennis player and coach reverses her life as a global model) In: 레이디경향 (Lady Trends), February 28, 2011. Abgerufen im May 7, 2016 (korean).