Kim Yeon-kyung (35, Heungkuk Life Insurance), who transforms into an advisor for the women’s volleyball team and adds strength to her team, is a great source of strength for her juniors.
At Media Day held at the National Athletes’ Village in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do on the 16th, Kim Yeon-kyung gave advice to juniors preparing for the 2023 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Kim Yeon-kyung retired from her national team after the last Tokyo Olympics. After Kim Yeon-kyung left, her national team’s power, which had advanced to the semifinals of the Olympics, deteriorated greatly. Last year, they lost all 12 matches in the Nations League, and fell into a deep slump, such as being eliminated in the first round with 1 win and 4 losses in the World Championship. A rebound is desperately needed in the Nations League, which starts in Turkiye on the 30th of this month.
Kim Yeon-kyung, who received a somewhat unfamiliar business card as her advisor after the season ended, is currently staying with her at her athlete’s village and giving strength to her players. She’s not very involved in training, but her presence is reassuring to her juniors.
Her captain Park Jung-ah continued to burst out laughing when asked about her Kim Yeon-kyung during her interview. “It’s because she doesn’t know what to call her,” she said. We say her older sister, but since there are a lot of cameras, she wonders if it’s okay to call her that.”
Her veterans, including Park Jung-ah, are accustomed to calling her ‘sister’. It is difficult for other young players to call their idols as big seniors and idols like the sky.
Regarding this, Kim Yeon-kyung said, “There are players called committee members, and there are players called sisters. There are players who call themselves advisors,” she said with a laugh. They are very comfortable players, so they are comfortable with each other. If you tell me something that the coaching staff can’t do, they try to help,” she said.스포츠토토
After retiring from her national team, Kim Yeon-kyung, who has been breathing in her athletes’ village for the first time in her life, is struggling to support her juniors based on her own experience. He said, “I am also a person involved in volleyball. I wanted to help if the team could continue to develop. I got a good offer and did it. The feeling is new. It is always good to wear clothes with Taegeukgi on them. Watching training after a long time reminds me of the past. The feeling is new,” he said. “Rather than wanting to run, I’m only thinking about helping.” She continued, “We help foreign and domestic staff communicate and give opinions on how to do it on the international stage. He is talking a lot. I feel once again that the player is the best. I don’t know what I will do in the future, but it helps a lot.”
Starting with the VNL this year, the national team will continue to digest Asian Championships, Olympic qualifiers, and Asian Games. Yeonkyung Kim accompanies this journey as an advisor. “There are many young players to look forward to,” he said. We will help you become a team that continues to develop. He talked about his wish and goal, saying, “I hope to get better and better at the end.”