The year she turned 16, she won gold in women’s 49 kg at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships as a first-year student at Seoul Sports High School.
The year she turned 19, she won gold in women’s 57 kg and under sparring at the Naples Universiade for Korea National Sport University.
In 2021, she won the Asian Championships in Lebanon.
In 2022, she won a place in women’s 57 kg for the Hangzhou Asian Games through the third selection event. In 2023, she won bronze at the World Taekwondo Grand Slam Finals and secured bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 24, she won gold in women’s 57 kg at the Paris Olympics. She entered the Games ranked 24th in the world, and it was the first Korean gold in the weight class in 16 years.
The year she turned 25, she took first place in the national team trials, then lost the final of the World Taekwondo Championships in October to Pacheco and won silver. In 2026, she won silver at the Rome and Muju Grand Prix events, and in October lost in the quarterfinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Kim Yu-jin (born 2000) won gold at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships on Nov 17, 2016, the year she turned 16, and became known when she won Olympic gold in women’s 57 kg at the Paris Games on Aug 8, 2024, the year she turned 24. In 2025, the year she turned 25, she won silver at the World Taekwondo Championships.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
As a first-year student at Seoul Sports High School, she won gold at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Burnaby, Canada, her first international event. She beat an athlete from Chinese Taipei in the final.
Source 21 · Mookas (Korean) · 2016 Burnaby World Taekwondo Junior Championships · opens in a new tabSource 22 · The Gate (Korean) · Super rookie Kim Yu-jin, 17 · opens in a new tab Date is local time.Competing for Korea National Sport University, she won gold in sparring at the Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Naples Universiade, fifth overall · opens in a new tabSource 20 · Kyeonggi Ilbo (Korean) · Naples Universiade, fifth overall · opens in a new tab Based on reports of the final day’s overall results; the date of this match was not confirmed in news reports.Won the Asian Championships in Beirut, Lebanon.
Source 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Asian Championships title · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kang Bo-ra and Kang Mi-reu at the World Championships · opens in a new tab The title comes from Yonhap’s report on her 2024 win; that the event was held in Beirut that June comes from a Yonhap article of December that year. The match date was not confirmed.Through the third selection event for the Hangzhou Asian Games, she won a place in women’s 57 kg, beating Lee Ah-reum, a medalist at two consecutive Asian Games.
Source 03 · MK Sports (Korean) · Hangzhou Asian Games team set · opens in a new tabSource 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Hangzhou Asian Games taekwondo team set · opens in a new tab The selection event ran April 16–17; the articles do not give the date this weight class was settled.Won bronze in women’s 57 kg in Wuxi, China, the only medal for the Korean women’s team.
Source 04 · Mookas (Korean) · World Taekwondo Grand Slam · opens in a new tab The event ran April 2–3; the articles do not give the date of this weight class.Beat a Kazakh athlete in the quarterfinal to reach the semifinal, securing a medal because losing semifinalists receive bronze.
Source 05 · Newsis (Korean) · Hangzhou Asian Games bronze secured · opens in a new tabSource 15 · Sportsworld (Korean) · Muju Grand Prix silver · opens in a new tabWon the domestic trial in Jeju, earning a spot in the Asian qualifier.
Source 06 · Mookas (Korean) · Qualifying for the Paris Olympics · opens in a new tabBeat a Japanese athlete in the quarterfinal and a Cambodian athlete in the semifinal, taking one of the two Olympic places per weight class.
Source 06 · Mookas (Korean) · Qualifying for the Paris Olympics · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Paris Olympics 57 kg title · opens in a new tabBeat a Kazakh athlete 2-0 in the final of the 26th championships in Da Nang, Vietnam. It was her first title at the event since 2021.
Source 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Asian Championships title · opens in a new tabBeat Nahid Kiani of Iran 2-0 on round scores in the final. She entered the Games ranked 24th in the world and beat opponents ranked 5th, 4th, 1st and 2nd in turn from the round of 16. It was the first Korean taekwondo gold in this weight class in 16 years, since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Appeared as a Paris Olympic gold medalist and talked about winning. Asked whether she felt more recognized, she said people now ask her for photos and autographs.
Source 09 · Newsen (Korean) · Appearance on Achim Madang · opens in a new tabReceived the July–August MVP award together with archer Lim Si-hyeon and shooter Ban Hyo-jin.
Source 10 · MBN (Korean) · Women’s Sports Awards July–August MVP · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · MBN Women’s Sports Awards · opens in a new tabBeat An Hye-young 2-0 in the final in Taebaek, earning a place at the World Championships.
Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · First place in national team trials · opens in a new tabLost the final 0-2 on round scores to Maria Clara Pacheco of Brazil.
Source 12 · Isplus (Korean) · Muju Grand Prix Challenge · opens in a new tabLost the final in Wuxi, China, 0-2 to Pacheco, the world No. 1.
Source 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · World Championships silver · opens in a new tabLost the women’s 57 kg final 0-2 to Pacheco at the first event of the 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix series.
Source 14 · Topstarnews (Korean) · Rome Grand Prix · opens in a new tabLost the final 0-2 on round scores to Pacheco. It was a tune-up ahead of the Asian Games.
Source 15 · Sportsworld (Korean) · Muju Grand Prix silver · opens in a new tabBeat an Indian athlete 2-0 in the round of 16, then lost 0-2 to Zhang Chuling of China in the quarterfinal. It was her second Asian Games.
Source 16 · Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games taekwondo · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Asian Games taekwondo semifinalists; Kim out in quarterfinal · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2016–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Sports · South Korea
2000 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 2000: the year of the event minus 2000, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.06 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.