Kim Yeon-kyung’s unfortunate challenge for the defeated volleyball queen is not over.
“Captain” Kim Yeon-kyung (33) was not enough. Still, it is too early to give up hope.
The Korean women’s volleyball team lost to Brazil with a set score of 0-3 (10-25 22-25 19-25) in the first match of the women’s preliminary round of volleyball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held at Ariake Arena on the 25th. Brazil ranks second in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) ranking, ahead of South Korea, which ranks 14th. It is ahead of Korea in both technology, power and height.
In the first set, Korea was unilaterally dragged around by a high wall in Brazil. Kim Yeon-kyung also scored only two points. As Kim Yeon-kyung survived from the second set, the match was tense, but he failed to win the set. Kim Yeon-kyung played with 12 points and Park Jung-ah with 9 points, but the result was a complete defeat.
Still, Kim Yeon-kyung made a different play as a “world class.” Kim Yeon-kyung’s “No-Look Spike” from the second set was the best. With the team trailing 9-13, Brazilian players gave up one point to Kim Yeon-kyung’s unique Norookspike.
As a result, Captain Kim Yeon-kyung was strong. He immediately reminded his juniors of his “real goal.” He cheered up his depressed colleagues by shouting, “Let’s do well next time.” “We all know that Brazil and Serbia are the strongest teams in our group,” he said. “We will definitely beat Kenya on the 27th and try to beat one of the two teams (Dominica Republic and Japan) to advance to the next round.
This Olympics is even more special for Kim Yeon-kyung. This is actually the last chance to challenge for the Olympic medal. At the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Kim Yeon-kyung appeared as a rider representing the Korean squad.
Kim Yeon-kyung lifted almost all the trophies she could experience during her career. Only one, there is no Olympic medal. At the 2012 London Games, which was her first Olympics, Kim led the Korean team, ranked 15th in the world finals. He wrote the drama, beating Serbia, Brazil, and Italy. The Korean team’s drama ended in fourth place. It was the first semi-final myth in 36 years since the 1976 Montreal Games.
Kim Yeon-kyung became the top scorer with a total of 207 points in eight games and was selected as the MVP by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). In the 2016 Rio Games, which was his second challenge, he had to swallow his disappointment by losing to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
After the game, Kim Yeon-kyung said, “Everyone seems nervous about the big stage of the Olympics. “We couldn’t shake off the pressure,” he said. Then, he improved a little from the end of the first set, and his performance improved in the second set. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t win a set, but I’ll show you better and better performance.”
The Korean women’s volleyball team will play the second round of preliminary matches against Kenya on the 27th. Kim Yeon-kyung’s “Last Dance” is not over yet.
