By Lee Hyo-won
The local sports scene is seeing the rise of a star couple, as fencer Nam Hyun-hee will tie the knot with cyclist Gong Hyo-suk in November, the couple announced Wednesday.
Nam said their two families met in April to discuss details about the wedding. The ceremony is set to take place at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 20 at L Tower in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul.
The athletes have not yet decided where to spend their honeymoon or make their conjugal home.
Nam is a leading figure in Korean women’s foil fencing, having won double gold medals in both the individual and team events at the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games and the silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The 30-year-old also picked up two bronzes at the World Championships in Paris last fall and is among the top ranked female fencers in the world.
The groom-to-be Gong is a national athlete who has done well in pan-Asian competitions. The 25-year-old is a two-time reigning champion of Tour de Korea, having won the 2009 and 2010 editions of the race.
The couple first met during a homecoming ceremony in Seoul for medalists of the Doha 2006 Asian Games. Gong is said to have approached Nam, claiming to be “a fan,” and the two became friends.
The relationship further developed after the Beijing 2008 Olympics when Nam suffered from hepatitis and went through a slump.
“(Gong) is five years younger but he is so much more mature than I am, and is really like a big-hearted older brother. He is a sensitive, caring person and took care of me when I was hospitalized. He even washed my hair and fed me fruit,” Nam was quoted as telling a local daily.
Gong left for France in April to participate in the European championships and other engagements. Preparations for the wedding will begin in August when he returns. In the meantime, Nam is currently undergoing therapy and training sessions in Taeneung National Training Center in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and will fly to Russia on June 2 to compete in the World Cup.