Bangkok, Thailand, December 13, 2020 — The entrance of Kim Heejin ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games provided a whole new balance to the Korean wing offense.
So far, the opposite hitter has competed in two Olympic Games and is already bound for her third with the national team. But even with almost a decade of experience in her arsenal, Heejin still leaves a whole lot of headroom to fly higher.
“It has been an honor being able to play with the Korean national flag on my uniform for the past 10 years. The national team is the driving force for me to develop further.
“There are still many players whose careers are far ahead from mine. I think there is still so much to learn from them rather than be pressured to match their achievements.”
After their fourth-place finish in London, Heejin continued contributing to the Korean national team’s success in the international arena. She helped her team to a back-to-back podium finish in the Asian Games, winning gold in front of their home crowd at Incheon 2014 before bagging the bronze at Jakarta-Palembang 2018.
The opposite hitter also has three Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship bronze medals on her trophy case.
Throughout her career, she has shown versatility on the court, playing multiple positions in the national team and in her club IBK Altos. For her, this versatility showcases the unique style of Korean volleyball.
“A lot of people think opposite spikers of the Korean national team are much weaker than other teams.
“I am proud to have played well enough as an opposite in our national team, though I played as a middle blocker in the Korean V-League.”
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Just like any volleyball player, Heejin does not want anything less than a great performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
At 1.85m tall, she knows she can deliver just as well – if not better – as her taller opponents, and vows to work harder in the gym to have her own niche as an opposite hitter.
“Of course, the difficult challenge was to secure the right to participate at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“I want to have good results at the Olympics. I want our opponents to recognize me as a ‘not-so-tall, but difficult-to-block opposite player’. This is my goal. The only way to do this is to practice more by studying and thinking how to make the most effective attack.”
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She has to wait a little later to put on another show on the Olympic stage. The longer wait only makes her hungrier to show what her team has been working on for years, especially from the service line.
For her, there is no shying away from a great performance in Tokyo, and she promises to earn as many points as she can to take her team to go the distance. And as they prepare for Tokyo 2020, the 29-year-old chooses to focus on the present and take her career one day at a time.
“I was worried about the possibility of cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, but the Games were postponed to next year. I have no problem with the delay. I would rather positively think that we can have more time to prepare.
“Korean players’ service skills including myself are now better than before compared to when we played at London 2012. I will try to get more points at the Tokyo Olympics as an opposite spiker. I haven’t even thought about my plans after Tokyo 2020 yet. There seems to be some plans coming for me after the Olympics.”
Heejin’s goal has never been anything lower than a podium finish in the Olympics. After almost 10 years since she first donned the Korean jersey, her dream has not changed, and now she wants to pass it on to the future stars of volleyball.
“Volleyball players are the coolest when they are on the court. So be careful not to get injuries, dream of winning an Olympic medal, and love volleyball.
“The goal is an Olympic medal.”
Follow Kim Heejin on Instagram www.instagram.com/no.4_kimheejin_fan
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