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From Olympics to K-pop: Jackson Wang goes back to his roots with Tokyo Games promo

Before becoming a successful K-pop idol, Jackson Wang was an Olympics-level fencer training to participate in the 2012 Olympics

Chinese singer-rapper Jackson Wang is a force to be reckoned with. From being an idol and part of the K-pop group GOT7 to creating his own label Team Wang and branching out to fashion, Jackson has no intention of stopping as he is gradually taking over the world. But before entering the music industry, he was also a prominent Olympics-level fencer.

Coming from a sports-oriented family, Jackson’s mother was a world champion gymnast while his father was a fencer with an Asian Games gold medal. It also happens to be China’s first gold medal for fencing. Following their footsteps, Jackson had actually gone into fencing and made a name for himself. Not only was he a renowned fencer, but he also won several competitions like Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing.

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From Olympics to K-pop

In fact, Jackson is an Olympic-level fencer and was supposed to participate in the London Olympics in 2012. He even had a sports scholarship from Stanford University. He secured a place in the first Youth Olympics as he represented his home, Hong Kong. He ended up ranking 11th in the world and was preparing for the 2012 Olympics. However, before he could take part, he discovered his love for music. Though he loved fencing, he wanted to have multiple different experiences instead of sticking to just one field.

Even though his friends and family were unsure, he stuck to his decision. He had been scouted by JYPE in 2008 but he was too young back then. When they again approached him two years later, he agreed to audition. He passed and became a trainee at JYPE, moving to South Korea in 2011. And well, the rest is history. However, he still has a love for fencing and the Olympics. He has tattoos of a fencing sword and the Olympics rings. He is also in pretty good shape as he showed off his skill in 2016 during a variety show where he beat fencer Gu Bon-gil, a South Korean Olympic champion. 

And he is participating in the Tokyo Olympics albeit in a different role. Jackson was approached to take part in the Tokyo Olympics promo video to relay the Olympic spirit. With an intimidating look and a suit that exudes power, Jackson narrates the history of the Olympics and all the athletes that took part in it.

'Extremely proud'

Fans were proud of him as they took to Twitter to show their support. One fan tweeted, “Jackson wang is indeed above kpop. that’s it. that’s the tweet.” Another tweeted, “I'm still emotional btw look at Jackson Wang's name in the Olympics website.” One tweeted, “Just extremely proud of Jackson Wang.” Another tweeted, “He threw away his chance to stand under the Olympics symbol in 2011 to chase his true passion in music. Ten years later, here he is, to fulfill his childhood dream with his new identity as an artist. Jackson Wang, you are simply in a class by yourself.”