A champion’s day starts long before the podium. Coach Lim Sujeong arrives at the Hangang early to prepare for competition, and the Champions Club camera follows her from pre-race conversations to reflections afterward. The 16-minute film reveals how an athlete keeps going over the years—details a list of titles cannot capture.
From combat sports to SUP, the challenge continues
Lim Sujeong spent a decade in combat sports, winning a world championship title, and also worked as a CrossFit coach. Today she takes a board and paddle onto the international SUP stage. Her journey through different sports is a starting point for understanding the athlete and coach she has become.
In the interview, the Hangang is familiar ground: it is where she began SUP. Greeting teammates and checking the course, she combines the experience of a seasoned competitor with the everyday routines of someone who trains on the water.
Ten years in the ring became the foundation for a new challenge on SUP’s world stage.
Looking beyond the placing to the performance
One of the interview’s most revealing themes is her approach to winning and losing. Sujeong explains the importance of examining how she performed rather than focusing on a single result. Building good races, one after another, lays the foundation for more distant goals.
SUP brings different natural conditions each time. Her thoughts on the tension of facing large waves and on fellow athletes improving rapidly show that every race presents a fresh challenge, even for a champion.
Even after a win, she first reflects on how she raced, beyond the result.
A world championship goal, three gold medals
Later in the film, Sujeong looks back on the 2025 ICF SUP World Championships in Abu Dhabi. She describes winning gold not only in her target event, the over-40 long distance, but also in technical and inflatable. A goal set when she first took up SUP had become a reality.
She also shares how she became a Starboard Dream Rider. Joining the world team of the brand she had used from the beginning, and receiving a supported board, carried special meaning. Beyond equipment, it is the story of an athlete moving closer to the stage she had imagined.
Long distance, technical and inflatable: three victories in Abu Dhabi in 2025.
Training continues as the next challenge takes shape
Reaching a big goal brings time to consider what comes next. In the interview, Sujeong says she is broadening her horizons as she prepares for the next stage. Both combat sports and SUP remain part of her future.
Her wish to introduce SUP to athletes from other sports carries through to the end of the film. For someone picking up a paddle for the first time, this interview is an inviting starting point. Watch below to discover the everyday life and challenges behind the results.
After a major goal is achieved, training continues and attention turns to the next challenge.
