Kim Seon-yeong (curler)

3.2.1. Team Kim

Kim Seon-yeong is a core member of the renowned "Team Kim," a South Korean women's curling team primarily composed of curlers with the surname Kim. The team is skipped by Kim Eun-jung, with other key members including Kim Kyeong-ae (third), Kim Cho-hi (second), and Kim Yeong-mi (alternate). Kim Seon-yeong initially played as the second for the team but later transitioned to the lead position, which she currently holds. The team was originally affiliated with the Uiseong Curling Club but later moved to the Gangneung Curling Centre after their contract with the Gyeongsangbukdo Sports Council expired.

The composition and roles of Team Kim have evolved over the seasons:

3.2.2. Olympic Games

Kim Seon-yeong has participated in two Winter Olympic Games, achieving a historic silver medal in 2018.

• 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics**: Team Kim, representing South Korea as the host nation, qualified for the Olympics by winning the 2017 South Korean championship. The team gained significant public attention and celebrity status in Korea, affectionately known as the "Garlic Girls" due to their hometown of Uiseong being famous for garlic production. At the Games, they had an impressive run, finishing the round robin in first place with an 8-1 record. They advanced to the gold medal final after defeating Japan (skipped by Satsuki Fujisawa) in the semifinal. In the final match, they faced Sweden (skipped by Anna Hasselborg) and, despite a strong performance, ultimately lost, securing a silver medal. This marked South Korea's first-ever Olympic medal in curling, a monumental achievement for the sport in the country.

• 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics**: Team Kim qualified for the 2022 Beijing Olympics by winning the 2021 Korean Curling Championships, which served as the selection event. Having failed to qualify directly from the 2021 World Championship, they secured their spot through the Olympic Qualification Event, where they posted a 6-2 record in the round robin and defeated Latvia in the playoffs. At the Beijing Games, the team could not replicate their 2018 success, finishing the event in eighth place with a 4-5 record.

3.2.3. World Championships

Kim Seon-yeong has represented South Korea in four World Women's Curling Championships, achieving a silver medal in 2022.

• 2017 World Women's Curling Championship**: After winning the 2016 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Team Kim earned the right to compete at the 2017 World Championship in China. They finished in 6th place.
• 2018 World Women's Curling Championship**: Following their Olympic silver medal, Team Kim participated in the 2018 World Championship. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
• 2021 World Women's Curling Championship**: After winning the 2020 Korean Curling Championships, Team Kim represented Korea at the 2021 World Championship. They had a slow start, losing their first four games, but recovered to finish with a 7-6 record, placing seventh. This was not enough to qualify directly for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
• 2022 World Women's Curling Championship**: At the 2022 World Championship, Team Kim achieved Korea's best-ever finish at the event. They concluded the round robin with a strong 9-3 record, securing second place and a direct bye to the semifinals. There, they defeated the host Canadian team skipped by Kerri Einarson. In the gold medal game, they faced Switzerland, skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni, and lost 7-6, earning a silver medal.

3.2.4. Pacific-Asia Championships

Kim Seon-yeong has achieved significant success at the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, including two gold medals.

• 2012 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships**: Playing as second for Kim Eun-jung, Team Kim won a bronze medal.
• 2014 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships**: The team returned to the event and again won a bronze medal. Although this performance would typically qualify them for the World Championships, the 2015 Worlds were held in Japan, which qualified as hosts over South Korea.
• 2016 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships**: Team Kim won a gold medal, earning them the right to play in the 2017 World Women's Curling Championship.
• 2017 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships**: Team Kim began the 2017-18 curling season by winning another gold medal at this event.
• 2021 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships**: Team Kim finished the round robin with a 5-1 record, tied with Japan. Due to Japan having a better draw shot challenge record, Korea played a semifinal match against Kazakhstan, which they won. However, they lost to Japan in the gold medal game, settling for a silver medal.

3.2.5. Asian Winter Games

Kim Seon-yeong participated in the Asian Winter Games, securing a silver medal.

• 2017 Asian Winter Games**: Team Kim won a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Winter Games held in Sapporo, Japan.

3.2.6. Domestic Competitions and Tours

Kim Seon-yeong has consistently performed well in domestic competitions and has been an active participant in the World Curling Tour, including various Grand Slam events.

• Korean Curling Championships**:
  • Gold medals: 2012 (Uijeongbu), 2014 (Chongju), 2016 (Uiseong), 2017 (Icheon), 2020 (Gangneung), 2021 (Gangneung).
  • Silver medals: 2013 (Chuncheon), 2018 (Jincheon), 2023 (Gangneung).
  • Bronze medals: 2015 (Icheon), 2019 (Gangneung), 2024 (Uijeongbu).
  • In June 2022, Team Kim lost their spot as the national team after failing to reach the podium at the Korean Curling Championships for the first time in over a decade, losing in both the semifinal and bronze medal games. They also finished second to Team Gim at the 2023 Korean Curling Championships, again not qualifying as the national team.
  • World Curling Tour and Grand Slam Events**:

  Team Kim has been a regular presence on the World Curling Tour, achieving notable results. In the 2019-20 season, they returned to the tour with Kim Kyeong-ae initially skipping, before Kim Eun-jung rejoined. They qualified for playoffs at the 2019 Cameron's Brewing Oakville Fall Classic and the 2019 Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, and finished runner-up at the inaugural 2019 WCT Uiseong International Curling Cup. They had quarterfinal finishes at the 2019 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic and the 2019 Canad Inns Women's Classic. They reached the final of the 2019 Changan Ford International Curling Elite and finished fourth at the 2019 China Open. In 2020, they had a quarterfinal finish at the International Bernese Ladies Cup and won the Glynhill Ladies International, which was their last event of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling subsequent Grand Slam events.
  
  The 2021-22 season saw them win the 2021 Alberta Curling Series: Saville Shoot-Out and reach the semifinals of the 2021 Sherwood Park Women's Curling Classic and the 2021 Masters Grand Slam event. In the 2022-23 season, despite not qualifying as the national team, they won the 2022 Karuizawa International Curling Championships, defeating Kerri Einarson in the final.
  
  The 2023-24 season was one of their best tour seasons. After two quarterfinal and one semifinal finish, they won the 2023 Stu Sells Tankard. They followed this with a semifinal finish at the 2023 Players Open, including a quarterfinal win against world champions Silvana Tirinzoni. In October, they won six straight games to claim the 2023 Tour Challenge Tier 2 title. They secured their third event win the following month at the Uiseong Korean Cup, defeating Team Gim in the final. After losing the final of the 2023 Karuizawa International to Ikue Kitazawa, Team Kim bounced back with an undefeated run at the 2023 Western Showdown. They qualified for the playoffs at the 2024 Canadian Open before a quarterfinal loss to Tirinzoni. At the 2024 International Bernese Ladies Cup, they reached another final before losing to rivals Team Gim. They concluded their season at the 2024 Players' Championship with another quarterfinal loss to Tirinzoni. Team Kim significantly improved their ranking, moving from twenty-seventh to seventh place by the end of the 2023-24 curling season.
  
  The Grand Slam of Curling is a series of major curling tournaments. Kim Seon-yeong's performance in these events is detailed below:
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  Former Grand Slam events:
  

  3.3. Mixed Doubles Career

  Kim Seon-yeong has also competed in mixed doubles curling, achieving bronze medals in national championships.

  • 2022 Korean Mixed Doubles Curling Championship**: She competed with Jeong Yeong-seok. They qualified for the playoffs with a 2-1 record but lost 8 points to 4 points in the semifinal to Kim Eun-bi and Yoo Min-hyeon. They secured the bronze medal by defeating her teammate Kim Cho-hi and Oh Seung-hoon 7 points to 6 points.
  • 2023 Korean Mixed Doubles Curling Championship**: Kim and Jeong teamed up again, qualifying for the playoffs with a 6-2 record. After winning a playoff game against Bang Yu-jin and Pyo Jeong-min, they lost to Kim Hye-rin and Yoo Min-hyeon in the semifinal. For the second consecutive year, they won the bronze medal with a 7 points to 4 points victory over Lee Eun-chae and Kim Min-woo.

  4. Awards and Honors

  Kim Seon-yeong has earned numerous medals and accolades throughout her distinguished curling career, reflecting her consistent performance and significant contributions to the sport.

  • Olympic Games**:
    • Silver medal: 2018 Pyeongchang (Team)
  • World Women's Curling Championship**:
    • Silver medal: 2022 Prince George
  • World Junior Curling Championships**:
    • Silver medal: 2014 Flims
  • Asian Winter Games**:
    • Silver medal: 2017 Sapporo (Team)
  • Pacific-Asia Curling Championships**:
    • Gold medal: 2016 Uiseong, 2017 Erina
    • Silver medal: 2014 Karuizawa, 2021 Almaty
    • Bronze medal: 2012 Naseby
  • Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships**:
    • Gold medal: 2014 Harbin
    • Silver medal: 2010 Nayoro, 2011 Naseby, 2012 Jeonju
    • Bronze medal: 2013 Tokoro
  • Korean Women's Championship**:
    • Gold medal: 2012 Uijeongbu, 2014 Chongju, 2016 Uiseong, 2017 Icheon, 2020 Gangneung, 2021 Gangneung
    • Silver medal: 2013 Chuncheon, 2018 Jincheon, 2023 Gangneung
    • Bronze medal: 2015 Icheon, 2019 Gangneung, 2024 Uijeongbu
  • Korean Mixed Doubles Championship**:
    • Bronze medal: 2022 Jincheon, 2023 Uijeongbu

  5. Personal Life

  Kim Seon-yeong was born on May 18, 1993. She is affectionately known by her nickname "Sunny." Information regarding her marriage, family, or specific hobbies beyond curling is not publicly available in the provided sources.

  6. Impact and Legacy

  Kim Seon-yeong and "Team Kim" have left a significant mark on South Korean sports culture, transcending the sport of curling to become national figures. Their unexpected success at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang captivated the nation, leading to their widespread recognition as the "Garlic Girls." This nickname, derived from their hometown of Uiseong being a major garlic producer, fostered a strong sense of regional and national identity, turning them into beloved public figures. Their silver medal achievement not only elevated the profile of curling in South Korea but also inspired a new generation of athletes and garnered unprecedented public interest in what was previously a niche sport.
  
  However, Team Kim's journey was not without challenges. Following their Olympic success, the team became embroiled in a highly publicized coaching scandal during the 2018-19 season. This controversy involved allegations of verbal abuse and financial mismanagement by a vice president of the country's sports federation, who was also the father of their coach. The scandal highlighted critical issues concerning athlete welfare, transparency in sports governance, and the power dynamics within national sports organizations. The team's public statements about their struggles brought national attention to the need for better protection and support for athletes, particularly in the aftermath of high-profile achievements. Despite the difficulties, the team eventually returned to the World Curling Tour, demonstrating resilience and continued dedication to their sport. Their experience underscored the broader societal impact of sports, revealing both the unifying power of athletic success and the systemic issues that can affect athletes' well-being and careers.