Gim Eun-ji explained

Gim Eun-ji
Other Names:Gim Un-chi
Birth Date:23 January 1990
Birth Place:Dangjin, South Korea
Curling Club:Uijeongbu CC, Uijeongbu
Skip:Gim Eun-ji
Third:Kim Min-ji
Second:Kim Su-ji
Lead:Seol Ye-eun
Alternate:Seol Ye-ji
World Championship Appearances:5
Pacific Championship Appearances:5
Pan Continental Championship Appearances:1
Olympic Appearances:1 (2014)
Grand Slam Victories:1 (2023 National)
Hangul:김은지
Rr:Kim Eunji
Mr:Kim Ŭnchi

Gim Eun-ji also known as Gim Un-chi (born January 23, 1990) is a Korean curler from Uijeongbu.[1] She currently skips the Gyeonggi Province curling team.

Career

Gim played as lead in her first world championship at the 2011 Capital One World Women's Curling Championship along with skip Kim Ji-sun. The team struggled finishing in last place with a 2–9 record. At the 2012 World Women's Curling Championship, South Korea made history by making the playoffs for the first time with a 8–3 record. They defeated Canada to advance to the semifinal, but lost a close game against eventual champions Switzerland. They then lost another close game to the Canadians in the bronze medal game, finishing in fourth place. Their fourth-place finish ensured them a spot in the 2014 Winter Olympics, even though South Korea did not qualify for the 2013 World Championships. At the Olympics, Gim played in the third and fourth positions, and the Korean team finished in eighth place with a 3–6 record. A month after the Olympics, Gim and her team represented South Korea at the 2014 World Women's Curling Championship in Saint John, New Brunswick. Like in 2012, the team had a successful run finishing round robin play with an 8–3 record and winning the tiebreaker 7–5 over Sweden's Margaretha Sigfridsson to qualify for the playoffs. They defeated Russia's Anna Sidorova in the 3 vs. 4 game but then lost the semifinal to, once again, Switzerland who went on to win the event. Gim missed her final shot of the bronze medal game and the Russian's stole the win 7–6.

The 2014–15 season was not a good season for the team. They won a World Curling Tour, the Crestwood Ladies Fall Classic but they didn't play in the 2014 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships and South Korea did not qualify for the 2015 World Women's Curling Championship. The 2015–16 season was successful for the team. They won the Hub International Crown of Curling, finished second at the 2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships and qualified for the 2016 World Women's Curling Championship. Gim and her team struggled during the World's, finishing in seventh place with an 5–6 record. Gim finished off the season with a third-place finish at the Korean National Championship.

Gim played in a number of events in the 2016–17 season and made the playoffs in a few as well. The team finished second at the inaugural Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic, third at the Hub International Crown of Curling and the Medicine Hat Charity Classic and fifth at the Crestwood Ladies Fall Classic. They also won the Karuizawa International 7–4 over Margaretha Sigfridsson. For the 2017–18 season they didn't play as many events but still found success finishing runner-up at the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic to Rachel Homan and qualifying for the quarterfinals at the Colonial Square Ladies Classic, Karuizawa International and the Glynhill Ladies International.

The team had a full schedule for the 2018–19 season, beginning with the Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic where they finished fourth.[2] On tour in Canada, they reached the final of the Gord Carroll Curling Classic where they lost to Chelsea Brandwood.[3] They also made the semifinals of the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic and the quarterfinals of the Canad Inns Women's Classic. Team Gim was invited to play in the 2018 Tour Challenge Tier 2 Grand Slam event where they qualified for the playoffs as the number one seed. They then lost to Kristen Streifel 8–6 in the quarterfinals.[4]

In summer 2019, Team Gim would win the 2019 Korean Curling Championships after stealing two in the tenth end of the final against Kim Min-ji. To start their tour season, her team had a quarterfinal finish at the 2019 Cameron's Brewing Oakville Fall Classic. They followed this by missing the playoffs at the 2019 Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, a semifinal finish at the 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic and winning the 2019 KW Fall Classic posting a perfect 7–0 record en route to capturing the title.[5] [6] [7] At the 2019 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Gim and her team had a disappointing finish. After going 6–1 in the round robin, they lost the semi-final to China's Han Yu. This performance meant they didn't qualify Korea for the 2020 World Championship through the Pacific region and would have to play in the World Qualification Event for their spot in the World's. Next Team Gim competed in the 2019 Boundary Ford Curling Classic where they lost in the final to Kim Min-ji. Two weeks later, they played in the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic in Saint John, New Brunswick, the same city where the team had success in 2014 at the World's. It was another successful run for the rink as they went 7–0 through the tournament to capture the title. Gim's rink went undefeated at the World Qualification Event, going 7–0 in the round robin and defeating Italy in the 1 vs. 2 playoff game to qualify South Korea for the World Championship. The team was set to represent South Korea at the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship before the event got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] [9] The World Qualification Event would be their last event of the season as the remaining two events (the Players' Championship and the Champions Cup Grand Slam events) were also cancelled due to the pandemic.[10]

Team Gim was not able to defend their national title at the 2020 Korean Curling Championships in November 2020.[11] After going 4–2 through the round robin, they defeated Um Min-ji 8–6 in the 3 vs. 4 game and then beat Kim Min-ji 9–4 in the semifinal. They then lost in the final to the undefeated Team Kim Eun-jung, meaning Team Kim won the right to represent Korea at the 2021 World Women's Curling Championship.[12]

The 2021–22 season began in June for Team Gim as they competed in the 2021 Korean Curling Championships to decide who would get the chance to represent Korea at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.[13] In the first of three rounds, the team went 3–1 in the round robin and then defeated the Kim Min-ji rink in the semifinal. They then lost to Kim Eun-jung in the final game. In the second round, they went 3–3, however, because Team Kim Eun-jung won both the first and second rounds, they became the national champions.[14] Gim later competed in the 2021 Korean Mixed Doubles Curling Championship with partner Jeong Yeong-seok, however, failed to qualify for the playoff round. On tour, Team Gim won three events at the Chairman's Cup, the Boundary Ford Curling Classic, and the Ladies Alberta Open.[15] They also reached the quarterfinal round of the 2021 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic and the final of the Red Deer Curling Classic where they lost to Satsuki Fujisawa.[16] Team Gim also competed in all four Grand Slam events of the season, however, finished winless at the first three. In March 2022, Kim Min-ji moved to Gyeonggi Province to join Team Gim at third.[17] The team competed in two Grand Slams at the end of the year, the 2022 Players' Championship and the 2022 Champions Cup. After missing the playoffs at the Players', the team made it all the way to the final of the Champions Cup where they lost to Kerri Einarson.[18]

Team Gim had their best season to date during the 2022–23 season as they qualified for the playoffs in fourteen of fifteen events they played in. The team began their run at the 2022 Korean Curling Championships where they went 5–1 in the round robin. After beating Jeonbuk Province in the semifinal, they lost in the championship game 7–4 to Chuncheon City Hall's Ha Seung-youn, meaning they would not be the national team once again.[19] On tour, the team began at the first event of the Alberta Curling Series, where they went undefeated to claim the title.[20] They next played in the 2022 Martensville International where after a 4–1 round robin record, they fell 8–4 in the semifinal to Clancy Grandy.[21] They also reached the semifinals of the 2022 Saville Shoot-Out, the 2022 Alberta Curling Series Major, and the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic. In the first Slam event, the 2022 National, Team Gim finished 2–2 through the round robin, but were able to beat Tabitha Peterson in a tiebreaker to qualify for the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, they lost 7–5 to Satsuki Fujisawa.[22] The team had another quarterfinal finish the following week at the 2022 Western Showdown after a previously undefeated record. At the 2022 Tour Challenge, the team started with two straight losses before winning three straight sudden death games to advance to the playoffs. After defeating Team Kim in the quarterfinals, they lost 4–3 to Team Einarson in the semifinals.[23] Team Gim's next event was the 2022 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic where they qualified for the playoffs through the B side. They then defeated Abby Ackland, Casey Scheidegger and Michèle Jäggi in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship game respectively to win the event, becoming the first Korean team to do so.[24] The team continued their winning momentum into the Stu Sells Brantford Nissan Classic where they captured their third event title of the season.[25] Team Gim wrapped up the 2022 part of their season at the 2022 Masters where they had another semifinal appearance, falling 5–3 to Rachel Homan.[26] They also reached the semifinals of the next Slam, the 2023 Canadian Open, where they were again defeated by Team Fujisawa.[27] The team wrapped up their season at the final two Slams, the 2023 Players' Championship and the 2023 Champions Cup. At the Players', they finished first through pool play with a 4–1 record to earn the top spot in the playoffs. They then lost 6–3 to Silvana Tirinzoni in the semifinal.[28] At the Champions Cup, they missed the playoffs for the only time during the season. After a 3–2 record, they fell 9–4 to Team Hasselborg in a tiebreaker.[29]

After their successful season which saw them rise to fifth in the world, Team Gim had an even better 2023–24 season with the team increasing their world ranking to third. At the 2023 Korean Curling Championships, the team lost just one game en route to claiming the national title, finishing the event with an unmatched 12–1 record.[30] This gave Gim her fifth Korean title and earned her team the right to represent Korea at the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships and the 2024 World Women's Curling Championship. On tour, the team initially struggled to find major success in their first three events. At the 2023 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic, however, Team Gim went undefeated to defend their title, defeating Japan's Miori Nakamura 8–3 in the final.[31] At the first Slam of the season, the 2023 Tour Challenge, the team finished as the number one seeds through the round robin before dropping their quarterfinal match to Kaitlyn Lawes.[32] They then played in the Pan Continental Championships where they went 6–1 through the round robin, earning the number one seed in the playoffs. After defeating Canada's Kerri Einarson in the semifinal, they beat Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa in the final to claim Korea's first Pan Continental title.[33] Next was the 2023 National where Team Gim again went undefeated through the round robin before defeating Stefania Constantini and Silvana Tirinzoni in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. This qualified them for the final where they defeated Team Rachel Homan 7–6, becoming the first Korean team to win a Grand Slam of Curling event.[34] They then reached the final of the Uiseong Korean Cup where they lost to Team Kim. At the next two Slams, the 2023 Masters and the 2024 Canadian Open, the team lost in the quarterfinals to Einarson and Homan respectively.[35] In their last event before the world championship, they lost just one game en route to claiming the 2024 International Bernese Ladies Cup, defeating Korean rival Kim Eun-jung in the final.[36] Team Gim then represented Korea at the 2024 World Championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Through the round robin, the team lost just two games to Switzerland and Italy, finishing fourth with a 10–2 record. This included defeating Canada's Homan rink, being the only team to do so.[37] After beating Sweden's Anna Hasselborg in the qualification round, they faced Canada again where they lost 9–7. This put them in the bronze medal game where Gim made a double takeout on her last shot to win the game for her team.[38] It was her first medal at a world championship, coming ten years after she lost the bronze medal game in . The team ended their season at the 2024 Players' Championship where they lost in the semifinals to Isabella Wranå.[39]

Personal life

Gim attended Korea National Open University.

Grand Slam record

Gim won South Korea's first Grand Slam championship at the 2023 National.

Event2013–142014–152015–162016–172017–182018–192019–202020–212021–222022–232023–24
Tour ChallengeN/AN/ADNPDNPDNPT2DNPN/AN/ASFQF
The NationalN/AN/ADNPDNPDNPDNPDNPN/AQQFC
MastersQFDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPN/AQSFQF
Canadian OpenDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPN/AN/ASFQF
Players'DNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPN/ADNPQSFSF
Champions CupDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPN/ADNPFQN/A

Former Grand Slam events

Teams

SeasonSkipThirdSecondLeadAlternate
2010–11[40] Gim Un-chi Lee Hyun-jung
2011–12Kim Ji-sun Lee Seul-bee Gim Un-chi Lee Hyun-jung Shin Mi-sung
2012–13Kim Ji-sun Lee Seul-bee Gim Un-chi
2013–14Kim Ji-sun Gim Un-chi Shin Mi-sung Lee Seul-bee Um Min-ji
2014–15Gim Un-chi Lee Seul-bee Um Min-ji
2015–16 Gim Un-chi (Fourth) Lee Seul-bee Um Min-ji Kim Ji-sun (Skip) Yeom Yoon-jung
2016–17 Gim Un-chi Um Min-ji Lee Seul-bee Yeom Yoon-jung Seol Ye-eun
2017–18 Gim Un-chi Um Min-ji Seol Ye-eun Yeom Yoon-jung Lee Seul-bee
2018–19Gim Un-chi Um Min-ji Seol Ye-eun Seol Ye-ji
2019–20Gim Un-chi Um Min-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Seol Ye-ji
2020–21Gim Un-chi Seol Ye-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Park Yu-bin
2021–22Gim Un-chi Seol Ye-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Park Yu-bin
2022–23Gim Eun-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Seol Ye-ji
2023–24Gim Eun-ji Kim Min-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Seol Ye-ji
2024–25Gim Eun-ji Kim Min-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Seol Ye-ji

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024 World Women's Curling Championship Media Guide. Curling Canada. 11 March 2024. 11 March 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240311202556/https://www.curling.ca/files/2024/03/2024-BKT-Tires-World-Womens-Curling-Championship-media-guide-V1.pdf. dead.
  2. Web site: 2018 Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic. CurlingZone. November 25, 2023.
  3. Web site: 2018 Gord Carroll Curling Classic – Presented by Winchester Glen Retirement. CurlingZone. November 25, 2023.
  4. Web site: 2018 Tour Challenge Tier 2. CurlingZone. November 25, 2023.
  5. Web site: 2019 Cameron's Brewing Oakville Fall Classic. CurlingZone. September 15, 2019.
  6. Web site: 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic. CurlingZone. September 15, 2019.
  7. Web site: 2019 KW Fall Classic. CurlingZone. September 23, 2019.
  8. News: World Women's Curling Championship Cancelled. The Sports Network. The Canadian Press. March 12, 2020. March 23, 2020.
  9. News: World Women's Curling Championship 2020 cancelled in Prince George, Canada. March 12, 2020. World Curling Federation. March 23, 2020. March 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200314163901/https://worldcurling.org/2020/03/wwcc2020-cancelled/. dead.
  10. News: GSOC cancels remaining events of 2019–20 season. Grand Slam of Curling. Grand Slam of Curling. March 13, 2020. March 23, 2020.
  11. Web site: 2020 Korean National Women's Curling Championship. CurlingZone. July 7, 2021.
  12. News: Meet the teams competing at the LGT World Women's Curling Championship 2021. World Curling Federation. Richard Gray. April 30, 2021. July 7, 2021.
  13. News: 베이징 올림픽 대표를 포함한 2021-2022 컬링 국가대표를 뽑는 2021 KB금융 한국컬링선수권대회 with 강릉.. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CQSZEAUDAA8. 2021-12-26. registration. Korean. curling1spoon. Instagram. June 19, 2021. June 16, 2022.
  14. News: 여자부 강릉시청 '팀 킴'은 2차전 5승 1패로 우승해 오는 12월 열리는 베이징 올림픽 자격대회에 출전하게 됐습니다. 축하합니다.. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CQ082klMfdp . 2021-12-26 . registration. Korean. curling1spoon. Instagram. July 2, 2021. June 16, 2022.
  15. Web site: 2021 Boundary Ford Curling Classic. CurlingZone. June 16, 2022.
  16. Web site: 2021 Vesta Energy Curling Classic. CurlingZone. June 16, 2022.
  17. News: Team Gim Curling. curling_team_gim. Instagram. June 16, 2022.
  18. News: Einarson earns 4th GSOC women's title with Champions Cup win. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. May 8, 2022. June 16, 2022.
  19. News: New Champions in Korea. The Curling News. Sports Illustrated. June 20, 2022. July 22, 2023.
  20. Web site: 2022 Curling Stadium Alberta Curling Series: Event 1. CurlingZone. July 22, 2023.
  21. Web site: 2022 Martensville International. CurlingZone. July 22, 2023.
  22. News: Lawes, Einarson advance to Boost National semifinals. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. October 8, 2022. July 22, 2023.
  23. News: Oskar Eriksson skips Team Edin into HearingLife Tour Challenge men’s final. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. October 23, 2022. July 22, 2023.
  24. News: Players Tour presented by Curling Live: Gim wins Autumn Gold Curling Classic. Sportsnet. October 28, 2022. July 22, 2023.
  25. News: Gim wins again at Stu Sells Brantford Nissan Classic. CurlingZone. July 22, 2023.
  26. News: Homan vs. Einarson, Mouat vs. Retornaz set for WFG Masters finals. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. December 10, 2022. July 22, 2023.
  27. News: Einarson reaches sixth straight Grand Slam final at Co-op Canadian Open. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. January 15, 2023. July 22, 2023.
  28. News: Koe claims spot in Princess Auto Players’ Championship final with clutch shot. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. April 15, 2023. July 22, 2023.
  29. News: Jones edges Grandy in extra end for KIOTI Tractor Champions Cup playoff spot. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. May 6, 2023. July 22, 2023.
  30. Web site: 2023 Korean Curling Championships – Women. CurlingZone. April 21, 2024.
  31. News: South Korea's Team Gim defends Autumn Gold Curling Classic title. Calgary Sun. Todd Saelhof. October 9, 2023. April 21, 2024.
  32. News: Lawes eliminates top-seed Gim in HearingLife Tour Challenge women's quarterfinals. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. October 21, 2023. April 21, 2024.
  33. News: Korea women win Pan Continental Curling Championship. World Curling Federation. November 4, 2023. April 21, 2024.
  34. News: Gim wins first career Grand Slam women's title at KIOTI National. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. November 12, 2023. April 21, 2024.
  35. News: Defending champ Einarson steals spot in WFG Masters semifinals from Gim. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. December 16, 2023. April 21, 2024.
  36. Web site: 2024 International Bernese Ladies Cup. CurlingZone. April 21, 2024.
  37. News: Canada's Homan finishes first in round-robin, moves into world semis. TSN. March 22, 2024. April 21, 2024.
  38. News: Korea win World Women's bronze. World Curling Federation. March 24, 2024. April 21, 2024.
  39. News: Wrana, Tirinzoni to face off again for Princess Auto Players' Championship women's title. Grand Slam of Curling. Jonathan Brazeau. April 14, 2024. April 21, 2024.
  40. Web site: Gim Un-chi Past Teams. CurlingZone. November 23, 2020.