[SBS Star] 7 Celebrities Who Used to Be an Athlete Before Debut

There are two things that determine the success of an athlete and a celebrity―their talents, and their relationship with the public.

Celebrities fed off of the love and support that their fans send them, and athletes could also benefit from a big cheer from the crowd.

But just because these two professions have something in common, it doesn't mean that making a transition from one job to another would be an easy task.

However, these seven celebrities were brave enough to take the leap and eventually made a huge success in other fields.

Let's meet these brave stars who turn a crisis into an opportunity of a lifetime.

1. KEY of SHINee
K-pop boy group SHINee's member KEY was a promising water-skier back in middle school.

Even though he is not a big fans of sports, he managed to win a medal at one water-ski contest when he was on his city's water-ski team.
In 2015, KEY mentioned during an interview with the press that he recently started water-skiing again and it was just like riding a bike.

2. Yoon Du Jun of Highlight
Apparently, there was a good reason behind K-pop boy group Highlight's Yoon Du Jun's obsession over soccer.

Yoon Du Jun first started playing soccer in elementary school, and succeeded in getting his name out there as a soccer player in middle school.
Back in 2014, Yoon Du Jun was appointed as an ambassador of K League thanks to his enthusiasm for soccer.

3. GOT7 of JACKSON
JACKSON, a member of K-pop boy group GOT7 had to rank #1 on fencing's Asia rankings to pursue his true passion.

When JACKSON confessed to his father that he wants to become a singer, his father promised him that he would give his full support if he becomes the best fencing player in Asia first.
Fortunately, JACKSON managed to meet his terms which seemed almost impossible and was able to start his music career as he hoped.

4. Song Hye Kyo
Actress Song Hye Kyo received a lot of love for the past couple of decades thanks to her elegant, irresistible beauty.

However, it was known that Song Hye Kyo pursued a different career path in middle school before she made her debut as a model in 1996 at the age of 15.
According to her middle school teacher, she was a figure skater who had a bright future.

5. Song Joong Ki
It seems like Song Hye Kyo and her husband have a lot in common since actor Song Joong Ki also spent many time on ice as a short track skater.

Ever since he put his step in the world of sports in the first grade, Song Joong Ki was considered as one of the up-and-coming short track skater and even made it to the National Sports Festival three times.
However, he had no choice but to quit his promising career in high school because of the knee injury.

6. Park Bo Gum
Actor Park Bo Gum who seems like he was born to be an actor was actually a swimmer for a brief period.

Park Bo Gum started swimming at an early age, but he decided to call it quits and started exploring other career paths after hitting a wall and failing to get out of his slump.
After hearing this story, his fans commented, "Thanks for quitting. I love seeing you on screen.", "He would have been a great swimmer though.", "That explains his wide shoulders.", and many more.

7. So Jisub
The public could have seen actor So Jisub in the Olympics if he kept pursing his swimming career.

Back in high school, So Jisub was the captain of his swimming team and even succeeded in winning a few medals in National Sports Festival.
But after he made his debut as a model back in 1995, So Jisub only focused on pursuing his acting career.

(Kang Eunbee, Credit= JTBC, SBS funE, SBS, 51K, Online Community, Channel A, MBC, KTFT,
'beeeestdjdjdj' Instagram, Blossom Entertainment)

(SBS Star)