[1] He produced a remarkable tally of three career medals, including a gold in the 74-kg division at the 2003 Asian Wrestling Championships in Delhi, India, and also finished tenth at the 2004 Summer Olympics, representing his nation South Korea.

Having worked as a full-time employee for Sung Shin, Choi trained throughout his sporting career as a member of its wrestling team under head coach Bang Dae-du.

[2][3] At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Choi qualified for the South Korean squad, as a 28-year-old, in the men's 74 kg class.

Earlier in the process, he placed third in the same class at the Asian Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan to guarantee a spot on South Korea's Olympic wrestling team.

[4] He lost his opening match 2–6 to two-time reigning Olympic champion Filiberto Azcuy of Cuba, but bounced back to oust Poland's Radosław Truszkowski with a challenging 6–1 verdict.