Picture an international championship match between neighboring countries with complicated historic and political relations. Now imagine that a key player in the victory had a son who followed his father into the sport before becoming a player for his father’s former rival country.
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Such stories are surely uncommon anywhere in the world. But this is the tale of one member of Japan’s rugby squad. It would be unthinkable, at least in South Korean soccer or baseball, to find the son of a champion, known for his victory over Japan, sporting the red and white flag of the rival.
Koo Ji-won Wife: Is Koo Ji-won Married?
He is not married yet. Currently, he is focused on building his career, please do well and follow us, surely we will update you on his marital status when we come to know information that would be picked up by the press.
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The Japan Times
That player is Koo Ji-won, born in Seoul in 1994. He started playing rugby as a sixth grader, as a third prop, whose role is to help stabilize the scrum. In the 2019 World Cup, he helped Japan to reach the final eight—a first for the national squad. Ji-won’s carefree personality and charismatic smile belie his 183-centimeter, 118-kilogram frame. To some fans, he is known affectionately by the nickname “Gū-kun.”
His father, Koo Dong-choon, born in 1963 in the South Korean naval port of Jinhae, started rugby in junior high school, as the first prop. He was chosen for his country’s national squad while still studying at the prestigious Yonsei University and played on the team for 12 years.
He was an imposing force in the scrum against the higher-ranked Japan at the 1988 Asian Rugby Football Tournament, held in Hong Kong. South Korea triumphed against Japan 17–13 in the final round to finish as champions. Incidentally, Japan’s coach at the time, Hibino Hiroshi, took responsibility for the loss and resigned from his post.
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