Cho Won-woo

Cho Won Woo is a South Korean windsurfer. He graduated from Busan Sports High School and later obtained a bachelor's degree in Leisure Sports Studies from Dongeui University. He started his sports career as a soccer player as he was part of the Busan I-Park Youth Team from 2002 until 2007. He began losing interest in soccer as he was not getting the opportunities in the main squad and watched people sailing at a beach and decided to try it. In middle school, he switched sports to sailing and he was introduced as part of the South Korean national team in 2009 at the age of 15, even participating in adult competitions and winning consecutive Youth World Championships in 2011 and 2012. In 2019, he finished in 9th place at the World Championships becoming the highest ranking for a South Korean and an Asian in the history of the sport. He qualified for the the 2020 Summer Olympics and finished in 17th place in the men's RS:X class. In 2023, he competed at the Asian Games where he earned South Korea's first ever gold medal in the sport and also exempted him from mandatory military service.