Taekwondo star’ Lee Dae-hoon (31), who retired from active duty in 2021, put the Taegeuk mark again. He is a coach, not a player.
Coach Lee Dae-hoon began his activities after receiving the national team coach chief at the 2023 World Taekwondo Federation (WT) World Championships 스포츠토토Final Ceremony held on the 16th at Jincheon National Training Center, Chungcheongbuk-do.
Coach Lee Dae-hoon met with Yonhap News right after the decision ceremony and said, “I was concentrating on my studies after retiring as a player, but in March, I took on the coaching position at Daejeon City Hall, and I recently received an offer to coach the national team.” I will do my best as much as I am entrusted with.”
Coach Lee Dae-hoon is scheduled to leave for Baku, Azerbaijan, where the World Championships will be held with the national team’s second team on the 25th, and plans to guide national team players such as his team player Kim Tae-yong (Daejeon City Hall) in the male 63kg class at the tournament site.
Coach Lee Dae-hun was selected as a national team member while attending Hansung High School and played an active role in various international competitions for 11 years wearing the Taegeuk mark.
He won the World Championships three times and also achieved the first three consecutive Taekwondo titles in the Asian Games.
He also competed in the Olympics three times in a row. He won a silver medal at the 2012 London event in the men’s 58 kg class and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro event in the 68 kg class.
After failing to win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he announced his retirement.
After retiring, Coach Lee focused on his studies and took the lead in various Taekwondo promotional activities. Recently, he continued various activities, such as appearing on entertainment programs.
Coach Lee said, “It is true that I have been thinking about (joining the national team) because I am doing a lot of activities,” and said, “I decided that I should not miss this opportunity.”
He continued, “I have not yet gained much experience as a leader, so I am cautious about everything,” and “I want to pass on the process of building my body, tactics, and psychological parts to the players.”
Coach Lee Dae-hoon will serve as the national team coach until the World Championships. Coach Lee said, “It would be an honor if the opportunity comes again.”
The Korean Taekwondo national team, which coach Lee joined, will compete in the 2023 World Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan from the 29th of this month to the 4th of June.
Korea dispatches 16 players in 8 weight classes for men and women. The men’s team was led by coach Moon Byeong-young (Gwangju City Association), coach Lee Won-jae (Korea Gas Corporation), Jeong Dong-hyuk (Samsung S1), Ahn Hong-yeop (Suwon City Hall), and coach Lee Dae-hoon.