Soo Yeon Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Soo Yeon Lee
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| 이수연 | |
Lee in 2012
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| Born | May 22, 1984 Busan, South Korea
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| Nationality | South Korean |
| Occupation |
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| Modeling information | |
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
이수연
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| RR | I Suyeon |
| MR | I Suyŏn |
| IPA | [i.su.jʌn] |
Soo Yeon Lee (born May 22, 1984) is a talented South Korean model, actress, and coach. She was also a professional table tennis player.
Lee started playing table tennis when she was very young. An Olympic gold medalist, Jung Hwa Hyun, trained her in South Korea. Lee quickly became very good and won the Korean National Junior Championship six times. She won her first championship at age 12. She has also appeared in ads for big brands like Nike, Adidas, and Red Bull. Today, she is a special representative for SPiN, which is a chain of table tennis clubs.
Early Life and Table Tennis Career
Soo Yeon Lee was born in Busan, South Korea. She began playing table tennis at nine years old. Just six months later, she was already competing in tournaments. She won her first National Junior Championship when she was 12.
After this win, Lee left home to train more. She trained under world champion Lee Ailesa at the Korean National Training Center. Later, Olympic Gold Medalist Hyun Jung-hwa coached her. Lee won five more Korean National Junior championships. She also won three Korean national tournaments.
Lee attended Korea National Sport University. There, Ahn Jae-hyung coached her. She also joined the national team. In 2001, Lee was part of the South Korean team that won a silver medal. This was at the World University Championships in Beijing. While at the university, Lee studied sports psychology and physical education.
In 2004, Lee moved to New Zealand to learn English. She won the New Zealand Women’s Singles Championship. She was also named New Zealand Female Sportsperson of the Year. After five months, Lee returned to South Korea.
Lee moved to the United States in 2007. Her sister was studying in Chicago, Illinois at the time. Lee then moved to Los Angeles, California. She enrolled at UCLA. She won several tournaments in the United States. These included the US Open in 2007 and the Killerspin Invitational in 2009.
Modeling and Acting Career
Modeling agents in Los Angeles noticed Lee soon after she moved there in 2007. She started working as a professional model in 2009. That same year, her modeling career began to include her table tennis skills.
In 2009, Lee went to the opening of Susan Sarandon's first table tennis club, SPiN. This club was in New York City. Later, Lee appeared with Sarandon on The Jay Leno Show. Since then, Lee has been a special representative for SPiN. She helps promote the company as it opens more locations. Lee has also worked for many other clients. These include Nike, Adidas, K-Swiss, Red Bull, and Target.
Besides modeling, Lee has also acted. She appeared in an episode of Entourage. She was also in Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the film Cross Wars.
Coaching Others
Lee is a certified coach for USA Table Tennis. She coaches competitive players. She has also coached many famous people. These include Oliver Stone, Jamie Foxx, and Susan Sarandon. She also coached Reggie Miller, John Stamos, and Kevin Dillon for the Entourage TV series.
