At age 26, Chinese K-pop idol Jackson Wang has already reinvented himself from an Olympic-level athlete to a global pop sensation. 

While other pop stars his age may have chart-topping songs or successful world tours, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/jackson-wang-k-pop-got7-fashion">Jackson Wang</a> has those and more&ndash;namely, a career as a youth&nbsp;Olympic fencer.&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/jackson-wang-mirrors-k-pop-instagram-got7">26-year-old&nbsp;K-pop figure</a>&nbsp;is most recognized for&nbsp;his involvement in <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/what-is-k-pop-fashion-blackpink-bts">K-pop</a> boy band <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6nfDaffa50mKtEOwR8g4df">Got7</a>, flourishing solo hip hop career, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficiel.at/en/man/fendi-x-jackson-wang-capsule-collection#image-9441">luxury fashion brand partnerships</a>, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/jackson-wang-k-pop-got7-fashion">L&#39;OFFICIEL Hommes USA cover star</a> got his start as a professional athlete.&nbsp;

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Raised in a household of medal-winning&nbsp;athletes,&nbsp;Wang was destined for sport. His mother, Sophia Chow, is a former gymnast from Shanghai, and his father, Wang Ruji, is an Asian Games gold medalist in fencing.&nbsp;Training with his dad as a teenager, Wang fell in love with fencing and became a fierce competitor. At age 16, Wang became an <a href="https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3058112/fighting-form">Olympic-level saber fencer</a> with Hong Kong&rsquo;s official junior fencing team.&nbsp;

Jackson Wang Fencing 

While pursuing the sport, Wang won first place accolades in a variety of competitions, such as the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships. He traveled the world for fencing tournaments and set his sights on making it to the main <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/simone-biles-national-champion-triple-double-usa-gymnastics-2019">Olympic Games</a>. Wang was also offered a sports scholarship from Stanford University in 2011 while preparing for the London Olympics.

Instead of moving to America or going for gold, however, Wang decided to relocate to South Korea and risk it all to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a performer. Even though his parents had doubts about this sudden career change, Wang <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/how-well-do-you-really-know-the-jack-of-all-trades-jackson-wang?draft=9aeac8e2-6d57-4364-9d85-017d67a8694b&amp;updated_at=1603391668">said</a> that he didn&#39;t want to have any regrets, and realized that his passion was in singing.&nbsp;Soon, he was putting his footwork to use on the stage alongside K-pop boy group <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6nfDaffa50mKtEOwR8g4df">Got7</a>&nbsp;and on his way to becoming a global star.&nbsp;

Why Jackson Wang Turned Down the Olympics to Become a K-Pop Star

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