Contents
Yoo Nam-kyu
Winning the first Olympic men’s singles table tennis title in Seoul in 1988.
Olympic singles · World mixed doubles
- Born
- 4 June 1968
- Birthplace
- Busan, South Korea
More people
Yoo Nam-kyu
Yoo Nam-kyu is a South Korean table tennis player and coach. His left-handed attacking game brought Olympic singles gold and doubles medals at three successive Games.
Early life
School sport
Turned to table tennis after his primary school football team was disbanded.
Swedish experience
Played for Ängby SK during the 1985–1986 season.
Career
- 1986
Asian champion
Won singles and team gold at the Asian Games.
- 1988–1989
World stage
Won Olympic singles gold and a world mixed-doubles title.
- 1992–1996
Further Olympics
Added doubles bronze at Barcelona and Atlanta.
- Later career
Coaching
Moved into coaching after his playing career.
Achievements
Olympic singles
Beat Kim Ki-taik in the first Olympic final.
World mixed doubles
Won gold with Hyun Jung-hwa.
Olympic doubles
Won three bronze medals with different partners.
Beyond sport
Father and daughter
Introduced his daughter Yoo Ye-rin to table tennis through games at home.
Choosing the sport
Discussed the demands of competitive training with his wife before enrolling their daughter.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Interview and personal background ↗Interview and personal background ↗Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service. CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
