한국인 of the Day: Lee Hyeon Joo

At her competitive peak in 2010-2011, yours truly wasn't the only member of the brethren swooning all over the place for Lee Hyeon Joo. She simply has it all, wrote one forum poster. Beautiful face, the perfect balance of size and definition to her body with great peaks on her biceps, ripped 6-(8-?)pack abs, thick powerful legs and flawlessly smooth skin and a sexy feminine swagger to her motions.




More of those motions at the end of today's post. Until then, you'll just have to take in the stunning beauty, the perfect balance, those peaks, that 6/8-pack, those jaw-dropping legs, and that flawless skin without the sexy feminine swagger.



In 2010, when she won the overall Ms Korea title she was, in my opinion anyway, in the best shape of her life. She then won the overall title at the IFBB Asian Amateur Championships the following year, making her, as far as I know, the second of only two Korean women to have achieved that feat - the first being the big and beautiful Jung Young Ji (who didn't quite make our list, but deserves a mention nevertheless).




Facially and physically, Lee Hyeon Joo was (is) an exceptional female bodybuilder, and yet, sadly, in other ways her story is somewhat typical of the fate of many Korean female bodybuilders (and Asian female bodybuilders in general). On the national stage she simply blew her competition away. Like Mi Hee Yu, who we featured on Monday, when you see Lee Hyeon Joo on stage at the Ms Korea contest, it's like she's accidentally walked on stage during the figure contest. She is head, shoulders (abs, thighs, back and legs) above the other competitors - even in the posedown for the overall title with the other weight class winners she is in a league of her own.



Even in the pan-Asian contest the year after, there was really no contest at all. Lee Hyeon Joo was so obviously the best bodybuilder on the stage that even a bunch of IFBB judges couldn't make the wrong decision [easy! - ed.].




Later that year she travelled to Serbia for the IFBB World Amateur Championships. Standing on stage next to prime female Euro beef like Nina Loebardt it was Lee Hyeon Joo who was blown away this time. As French female muscle blogging legend (and FMS inspiration) Lothaire noted on Freya, We've been talking for a while about the rise of Asian bodybuilders but we're still waiting for the first representative of this new wave to go to an international competition and leave with a medal in their pockets. Lee Hyeon Joo is certainly one of the very best Asian bodybuilders, but she still has some way to go if she wants to get on an international podium.



It's not a criticism (God forbid) of Lee Hyeon Joo, nor of any other Asian FBB, just a plain fact. Since then, of course, Yeon Woo Ji (who might be popping up on FMS tomorrow or Friday, wink wink) has gone to an international competition and finished on the podium - in the physique division. Whether Lee Hyeon Joo 'disappeared' (or at least hasn't competed) after that 2011 World Championships appearance in order to rethink her strategy and return as a physique competitor is not clear. But recently some new (pretty arty and very wonderful) images of this rare beauty have been doing the rounds, and to me it looks like this might, in fact, be the case.



But whatever the reason for her years out of the female muscle fan realm, it's exceptionally good news that there is new material of her, and I, for one, am getting more than a little excited at the thought of seeing her on stage once again because I can't help feeling that I have got plenty of swoon for Lee Hyeon Joo left in me...



And so, finally, to the MOTION. Lee Hyeon Joo in the shape of her life, performing her winning routine at the 2010 Ms Korea, and here at least we can be thankful for the technical issues they were having with her music, because it means we get a bonus half a minute or so of her holding the pose as she waits... and waits...



More links to Lee Hyeon Joo than you can probably click on in one sitting (and much much more besides) on elee0228's Deviant Art journal. Fill your boots!