한국인 of the Day: Yeon Woo Ji

She is probably the sole woman featured this week who needs absolutely no introduction whatsoever to any of you lovely readers. Yeon Woo Ji cemented her place as the first Korean female muscle superstar last year with her Overall Physique victory at the Arnold Classic Europe and, of course, with her appearance at #26 in the FMS Hot and Hard 100, the only Korean and, behind Penpraghai Tiangngok, the second highest-placed Asian-born hot and hard woman on the list.



Seriously though, her rise into the IFBB pro ranks before she had turned 30, like her rise in notoriety and popularity among fans from all over the world, is, of course, mainly due to the winning package of muscularity and femininity she is able to bring to the stage - and methinks the stunning exotic beauty doesn't hurt either. But me also thinks Yeon Woo Ji's somewhat unusual (for a Korean, anyway) competitive history has also played its part in enabling her to be the first Korean woman to hit the kind of international heights that her compatriot sisters of iron have failed to reach.



The man who has to take most of the credit for transforming Yeon Woo Ji from skinny to international female muscle star is also responsible for the ring on her finger. Jong Sup Won, a bodybuilder himself, introduced her to the sport, first became her trainer, and later became her husband. And it was, I believe, his decision to compete in the USA that resulted in his wife following him as supporter and competitor, and led directly to her gaining greater exposure to the international brethren.



Her competitive career (as far as I know) began, conventionally enough, as a figure athlete and bodybuilder in Korea. But not for her the typical progression from Korean champ (which she has never been) to the IFBB Asian and then, perhaps, World Championships made by Mi Hee Yu or Lee Hyeon Joo (to name but two examples). Instead, as noted above, Yeon Woo Ji went to California with her husband in 2011.



At the 2011 NPC California State Championships she competed in Figure. Although she didn't place in that show, the wheels had been set in motion. She returned to California to compete at the Memorial Day Muscle Beach Event later in the year, won her class (OK, she was the only one in it) AND the Overall Figure title. Then, in December 2011 she was back in California again and finishing 2nd, as a bodybuilder this time, at the NPC Excalibur. By then, she had come to the attention of more than one high profile female muscle website, and suddenly she was all over the fansites.




Back in Korea in 2012 Yeon Woo Ji finished just 3rd in the national championships, but also - if the prevalance of clips out there of her appearing on Korean (and Chinese) TV is anything to go by - gained a measure of mainstream media exposure. More importantly for what followed, though, she also made the fateful decision to focus her efforts on Physique (hubby probably had something to do with that too!).



Which brings us to her triumph in Madrid last year. At the time (see Contest of the Day, November 2013) FMS reported that though we found her to be looking "sensational" in photos of the event, footage of her posing had left us a little "underwhelmed". Having revisited both in the course of putting this post together, I stand by that appraisal. I'm not saying that she didn't look as sexy as hell during her free posing routine - a dazzling vision of feminine muscularity - just that she didn't MOVE quite as sexily as hell as she had done in my imagination when I saw the contest photos. Thus, underwhelming.




But my own ignorant opinion shouldn't in any way detract from what was an undeniably incredible achievement. In winning the Arnold Europe, not only did Yeon Woo Ji become the first Korean IFBB Physique Pro, but she also entered the history books as the first Asian to win such a high profile international title.



So, what's the next move for the trailblazing Yeon Woo Ji?

Whatever it is, the female muscle fan world will be watching...



You can watch Yeon Woo Ji's Arnold Europe routine on You Tube thanks to videosmusculares, follow her on Facebook, and fill your boots with her pics and clips on Female Muscle Clips, HD Physiques, Her Biceps, Krivs Studio AND - in Madrid from last year and at her most groin-activatingly gorgeous and BIG - on Female City Flex.




And we finish both this post and our week of the country's fine female muscle with 3+ minutes of Korea's gorgeous and very first female muscle superstar. Enjoy!