Ryu Sung-hyun

Ryu Sung-hyun (류성현; born 22 October 2002) is a South Korean artistic gymnast. He is the 2019 Junior World champion on the floor exercise. He represented South Korea at the 2020 Summer Olympics and placed fourth in the floor exercise final. He won two bronze medals at the 2021 Summer World University Games. He has qualified to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics through the 2024 FIG World Cup series.

Early life
Ryu was born in 2002 in Seoul. When he was eight years old, he stayed after school to watch his school's gymnastics practices. His father, a former football player, did not want him to become an athlete and would not let him join the team. He began practicing gymnastics alone for four years, and the team coach eventually contacted and convinced his parents to let him join the team.

2019
Ryu made his international debut at the 2019 Junior World Championships. He helped the South Korean team place sixth, and he qualified for the floor exercise final in first place. He then won the gold medal in the final ahead of Félix Dolci and Nazar Chepurnyi.

2020–2021
In 2020, Ryu won the gold medal in the floor exercise at the Melbourne World Cup. Then at the Baku World Cup, he finished fourth on the floor exercise during the qualification round. However, the event finals were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryu won the all-around competition at South Korea's Olympic Trials and was selected to represent South Korea at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Kim Han-sol, Lee Jun-ho, and Yang Hak-seon. At the Olympic Games, the team placed 11th during the qualification round. Individually, Ryu qualified for the floor exercise final in third place. During the final, he competed with the highest difficulty score in the field, but mistakes on the landings caused him to finish in fourth place. After the Olympic Games, he competed at the World Championships and once again finished fourth on the floor exercise.

2022
Ryu began the 2022 season with a fifth-place finish on the floor exercise at the Doha World Cup. Then at the Asian Championships, he helped the South Korean team place fourth, and he placed sixth in the all-around. In the event finals, he placed fifth on the floor exercise and seventh on the rings and horizontal bar. He then competed at the 2022 World Championships where the South Korean team placed eighth in the team final. He qualified for the all-around final, but he chose to withdraw to focus on the event finals. Individually, he finished sixth in the floor exercise final.

2023
At the 2023 Asian Championships, Ryu placed fourth with the South Korean team. Individually, he finished seventh in the all-around and floor exercise and fourth on the parallel bars. He then represented South Korea at the 2021 Summer World University Games, which were held in 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he helped the team win the bronze medal. Individually, he finished seventh in the all-around, fifth on the parallel bars, and won the bronze medal on the floor exercise. During the 2023 World Championships, Ryu fractured his left clavicle. The South Korean team finished 13th during the qualification round and did not qualify as a full team for the 2024 Olympic Games.

2024
Ryu registered for the 2024 FIG World Cup series to earn an individual berth for the 2024 Olympic Games, despite not being fully recovered from his injury. In the first event in Cairo, he won the gold medal on the floor exercise. Then at the Cottbus World Cup, he won the bronze medal behind Harry Hepworth and Artem Dolgopyat. Although he only finished fifth in Baku, he mathematically secured an Olympic berth prior to the final event in Doha. His Olympic qualification was officially confirmed after the Doha World Cup, and he was the overall floor exercise champion of the World Cup series.

Personal life
Since 2021, Ryu has studied physical education at the Korea National Sport University (KNSU). At the 2024 Summer Olympics, he will become the first athlete to compete at two Olympic Games as a KNSU student.