‘Kim Yuna’s Friend’ Kwon Hyun-ah Takes on the Paris Paralympic Games: “I will Win a Medal too”
Kwon Hyun-ah, who couldn't even ask her classmate Kim Yu-na for an autograph, stands out as an ace badminton player for the disabled and started working out at the recommendation of her boyfriend.
“I’m going to propose after I win the medal.”
Disabled badminton ace Kwon Hyun-ah (34, Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled) has a special relationship with ‘figure queen’ Kim Yu-na.
She is a classmate who studied in the same class as Gunpo when she was a second year student. 파워볼
On the 25th, Kwon Hyun-ah met with reporters at the Icheon Athletes' Village in Gyeonggi-do, where the '2024 Korea Sports Association for the Disabled National Team Training Opening Ceremony' was held, and said, "At the time, (Kim) Yuna was a world-class athlete, and she was so busy that she wouldn't remember me."
“I just looked at him as an object of envy,” he said.
Kwon Hyeon-ah couldn't get Kim Yu-na's autograph or take pictures with her like her other friends.
He said, “I had a passive personality at the time.”
Hyuna Kwon became disabled when she was six years old.
She injured her spinal cord in a fall.
Kwon Hyeon-ah, who has been in a wheelchair since she was young, went to school quietly like other disabled children.
When I was in elementary school, I couldn't even participate in sports activities.
He said, “I stayed in the classroom while my other friends went to the playground to do physical education.
The teacher encouraged me to join, but I couldn’t muster up the courage.”
Hyuna Kwon's quiet personality did not change even when she was in middle school and high school.
Kwon Hyun-ah, who worked as a web designer, changed her life after meeting her boyfriend Choi Won-geun.
He said, "My boyfriend worked in wheelchair repair, and we started dating while fixing wheelchairs 8 years ago.
We learned wheelchair rugby together at my boyfriend's recommendation, which is how I got into sports for the disabled."
Kwon Hyun-ah, who fell in love with the charm of sports, tried other sports and discovered a talent for badminton.
Kwon Hyun-ah’s life changed 180 degrees.
He grew into Korea's best disabled badminton player, and the stage of his life expanded to the world.
He said, “When I went to school with Yuna Kim, I never dreamed that I would compete in the Paralympic Games.
I also think, ‘It would have been great if I had participated in sports activities at a younger age.’”
Then, he said, “I hope that many children with disabilities will come out and do active activities without worrying about what others think,” and “Sports will change life itself.”
Kwon Hyun-ah, bronze medalist at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, is eyeing two medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
He expressed confidence, saying, "I am aiming for a bronze medal in singles and a silver medal in women's doubles.
I will definitely win a medal."
Kwon Hyun-ah said, "After the Paris Paralympic Games, I will hold a medal and propose to my boyfriend of eight years.
I plan to get married this year."
He continued with a smile, saying, “I want to meet (Kim) Yuna someday.”