Seoul, Korea, December 10, 2020 – Korean twin sisters Lee Dayeong and Lee Jaeyeong are tracing their mother’s footsteps with an opportunity for things to come full circle when they compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Over three decades ago, 22-year-old setter Kim Gyeong-hui officially set foot on the court as an Olympian at her country’s home Games in Seoul in 1988. Years later, daughters Dayeong and Jaeyeong followed her lead when they secured a spot at their first Olympic Games off a sweep of the continental Tokyo Volleyball Qualification tournament in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
“Before the Olympic qualification tournament, a lot of people’s attention were on us and the expectations were so high that we felt a lot of pressure. Our mother, who competed on this kind of stage, told us we should get used to dealing with pressure, and that actually gave us strength to do well in the competition,” Dayeong said.
Born just a few minutes apart on October 15, 1996, the twins inherited their athletic genes from father Lee Ju-hyung and mother Gyeong-hui, the latter being their their biggest inspiration.
“Our mother recommended volleyball to us because we were taller and more active than the other kids in school. We think we inherited our parents’ physical abilities, like the athleticism and strength of our father who was a track and field athlete. Both were athletes, and we were quite lucky to be given these athletic traits,” Jaeyeong said.
“Our mother recognised our potential when we were children and paved the way for us to start playing volleyball. She gave us a lot of advice so that we could grow into strong players, not just with the fundamental skills but also in the mental aspect of the game,” Dayeong added.
“She never missed any of our matches, even coming from a far away region just to watch and cheer for us. She would say ‘you are everything to me’ so we could do better on the court.”
Their long road to their first Olympic Games seems like an adventure filled with great lessons and special opportunities that many players dream of having. A great opportunity indeed to play alongside volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-Koung and be mentored by Italian coach Stefano Lavarini.
Yeon-Koung, who is also their teammate at club Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders, has shown her commitment to win an Olympic medal by staying in Korea for the club season, while Lavarini prepares the team for the much-anticipated quadrennial.
“At the Olympic qualifier, most of the players had injuries, so we were very worried. In particular, Yeon-Koung injured her abdominal muscle, but she showed us her strong will to win the Olympic ticket. Other teammates also had to endure the pain of their injuries to achieve our goal. When we scored the final point to secure the Olympic ticket, that was a blissful moment for all of us as we succeeded in reaching our ultimate goal. We hugged each other and shed tears of joy,” Jaeyeong recalled.
“Yeon-Koung is taking the initiative and setting an example by showing us the right attitude and mentality when we train and compete. We see and learn many things from her in the national team, but there are a lot more things to see and learn while we play with her in the same club. We will work hard to become good players by learning and mastering the strengths of Yeon-Koung,” Dayeong said.
“Coach Lavarini said that we must be a team that works hard together, not a team that relies solely on Yeon-Koung. He told us that each and every player in the team must be ready to play their role, so our training is focused towards that plan. As a result, we were able to strengthen our attack and made our blocking more solid.”
As twins their strong connection with each other comes naturally, but through sport they have forged a stronger bond, while keeping their unique personalities.
“We are partners, always keeping in step since we were young. I think the biggest advantage is knowing what each other wants, without having to say anything, just by making eye contact. Also, since we have a clear and common goal – to become successful volleyball players – we can create strong synergy when we are together,” Jaeyeong said.
“We are twins, but our personalities are quite different. Jaeyeong is introverted and likes to relax at home,” Dayeong added.
“Dayeong is outgoing and enjoys meeting people. We don’t spend much of our free time together, but when we do, we like to play mobile and online games,” Jaeyeong responded.
The twins have nothing but great things to say about each other as sisters and like to compliment each other.
“She is very dear to me. If I am down, she’s the one who encourages me to stay strong. As a teammate, Jaeyeong is a player with such great qualities like having excellent fundamental skills and great judgment in crucial situations,” Dayeong said.
“Dayeong is very dear to me too. We have wonderful harmony in attack, just by looking at each other’s eyes. We have a lot of good spikers in the team and she connects well with each attacker. She can also score points when necessary, with her good blocking and attacking skills,” Jaeyeong said.
For now, both of them agree that the main focus is good results.
“We want to win the championship title in the 2020/2021 Korean V-League season. It is also our hope to wear the Olympic medal. In the next five years, we both want to play without any injuries and show memorable, great plays to our fans.”
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