Kay Poe

Kay Poe fought taekwondo at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, losing her only match as a flyweight, but her story getting there was much more dramatic.

At the US Olympic Trials in May 2000, Poe was to face her training partner, Esther Kim, in the final. Both had trained under Kim’s father, Jim Won Kim. Poe was favored as she was ranked #1 in the world, but she had dislocated a kneecap in the semi-finals and could not contest the final. Kim then graciously gave up her spot on the US team to Poe, a decision supported by her father. Kim was invited to attend the Sydney Olympics by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Poe had competed at the 1997 World Championships, taking bronze as a finweight, and the 1999 Pan American Games, winning a silver medal as a flyweight. Before Sydney she had won the 1998 World Cup, the 1999 US Open, and the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. She would later win the 2002 US Open and Pan American Championships.

Poe considered Kim her best friend, but Kim sadly died in 2019 at age 40.