| Yeo Seo-jeong | |
| Native Name: | 여서정 |
| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Birth Date: | 20 February 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Yongin-si, South Korea |
| Height: | 1.51 m[1] |
| Discipline: | WAG |
| Level: | Senior International Elite |
| Natlteam: | 2018 – present |
| Club: | Jecheon City Hall |
| Headcoach: | Lee Kwang-Yeon |
| Eponymousskills: | Yeo (5.8) (vault): handspring layout double twist |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Yeo Seo-jeong (; born 20 February 2002) is a South Korean artistic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2023 World bronze medalist, the 2018 Asian Games champion, and the 2022 Asian champion on vault. She is the first South Korean female gymnast to win an Olympic medal and also the first to win a World Championships medal.
Yeo Seo-jeong was born on 20 February 2002 in Yongin-si. Both of Yeo's parents are retired gymnasts. Her mother won a team bronze medal in the 1994 Asian Games, and her father, Yeo Hong-chul, was the 1996 Olympic silver medalist on vault. She said in 2018 that she enjoys vault because of her father.[2] She graduated from Gyeonggi Physical Education High School.[3]
Yeo won the all-around title at the South Korean National Championships.[4] Then, she made her senior international debut at the Guimaraes World Challenge Cup and won the gold medal on vault.[5] She was then selected to compete at the 2018 Asian Games alongside Ham Mi-ju, Kim Ju-ry, Lee Eun-ju, and Yun Na-rae. The team finished in fourth place. Individually, Yeo won the gold medal on vault, and she placed ninth in the all-around, eighth on beam, and seventh on floor.[6] She then competed at the World Championships where she placed fifth in the vault final.[7] Her final meet of the season was the Voronin Cup where she won vault gold, all-around silver, and floor exercise bronze, and she placed eighth on the uneven bars and balance beam.[8]
Yeo won the gold medal on the vault at the Melbourne World Cup. This was the first time that a Korean female gymnast won a gold medal in the FIG World Cup series.[9] [10] She placed fourth in the all-around at the Korean National Team Selection meet.[11] At the 2019 Korea Cup, Yeo became the first woman to land the handspring double twist vault. She said of the new vault, "I was afraid, but once I started focusing on the competition, my fear disappeared. I am so happy that I was able to execute that. I wanted to land the new vault regardless of my final rankings today, and everything went my way."[12] The vault was then named after her and added to the Code of Points.[13]
At the World Championships in Stuttgart, Yeo qualified to the vault final in fifth place with a score of 14.766.[14] However, she finished last in the final after a fall and going out of bounds when attempting the handspring double twist vault.[15] Because she qualified for the vault event final, Yeo qualified as an individual for the 2020 Olympic Games.[16] After the World Championships, she competed at the Arthur Gander Memorial and placed ninth in the all-around.[17] She also competed at the Swiss Cup alongside Lee Jun-ho, and they finished seventh as a team.[18]
At the 2020 Olympic Games, Yeo competed in the vault final and performed her eponymous vault, which had the highest difficulty value in the final.[19] She finished with an average score of 14.733 and won the bronze medal behind Brazilian Rebeca Andrade and American MyKayla Skinner.[20] This made her the first South Korean female gymnast to win an Olympic medal.[21]
Yeo competed at the 2022 Asian Championships in June. While there, she helped South Korea finish second as a team behind China. Individually, she won gold on the vault and placed fifth in the all-around and on the floor exercise.[22] She then competed at the 2022 World Championships and placed seventh in the vault final.[23]
Yeo competed at the 2023 City of Jesolo Trophy, helping South Korea win the team silver medal behind Italy. Individually, she won the gold medal on the vault and the silver medal on the balance beam.[24] She then won the bronze medal in the all-around at the South Korean Championships.[25] Then at the 2023 Asian Championships, she helped South Korea win the silver medal behind China. Individually, Yeo successfully defended her vault title.[26]
Yeo competed at the World Championships where she helped Korea place 11th as a team during qualifications.[27] In doing so, Korea qualified a full team to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games.[28] Individually Yeo qualified for the vault final. During the final, Yeo performed two clean vaults and won the bronze medal behind Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and American Simone Biles. This was the first World Championships medal won by a female South Korean gymnast.[29]
Yeo won the bronze medal in the all-around at the Korean National Team Selection competition, leading to her selection for the 2024 Summer Olympics team alongside Eom Do-hyun, Lee Da-yeong, Lee Yun-seo, and Shin Sol-yi.[30]
Yeo has one eponymous skill listed in the Code of Points.[31]
| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | South Korean Championships | |||||||
| Guimaraes World Challenge Cup | ||||||||
| Asian Games | 4 | 9 | 8 | 7 | ||||
| World Championships | 5 | |||||||
| Voronin Cup | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| 2019 | Melbourne World Cup | |||||||
| Korean National Team Selection | 4 | |||||||
| Korea Cup | ||||||||
| World Championships | 8 | |||||||
| Arthur Gander Memorial | 9 | |||||||
| Swiss Cup | 7 | |||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||
| align=left | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| align=left | 7 | |||||||
| 2023 | align=left | 8 | ||||||
| align=left | South Korean Championships | |||||||
| align=left | ||||||||
| align=left | 11 | |||||||
| 2024 | align=left | Korean National Team Selection | ||||||
| align=left | Olympic Games | 12 | 7 |