Korean men’s volleyball’s top setter Han (Korean Air) will be competing in his fourth Asian Games.
The Korean men’s volleyball team left Incheon International Airport on Saturday morning for Hangzhou, China. They will be competing in their final tournament of the year, the 현금홀덤사이트 Hangzhou Asian Games.
This year, the team will compete in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup, the Asian Championships, and the Asian Games. Han was named to the final 12-player roster for the Asian Games. Head coach Lim Do-heon is hoping that the veteran will be able to anchor the team.
Han will be competing in her fourth Asian Games. She won bronze medals in Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014, and silver in Jakarta-Palembang 2018, where she failed to beat Iran. He is now eyeing a medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
It has been two weeks since she joined the national team. “We still have some things to work on,” Han said. “I think it will be important for us to get our breathing down in Hangzhou. I will do my best to improve my breathing,” Han said.
The Korean men’s national volleyball team had a tough season this year. They had hoped to win the AVC Challenge Cup, but fell short to Bahrain and finished in third place. They also failed to qualify for the FIVB Challenger Cup, which is a qualifier for the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL). Instead, Thailand, coached by Park Kiwon, won the AVC Challenge Cup in a surprise upset to qualify for the FIVB Challenger Cup.
At the subsequent Asian Championships, Lim lost to China in the quarterfinals before advancing to the semifinals. He finished the tournament in fifth place.
The growth of Asian teams in international competition has been remarkable. In addition to FIVB’s No. 5 Japan, No. 11 Iran, and No. 17 Qatar, teams from outside the world rankings, such as No. 43 Taiwan, No. 51 Pakistan, No. 47 Indonesia, No. 71 Thailand, and No. 74 Bahrain, are slowly racking up ranking points. South Korea is no pushover.
“We have to play our game,” said Lim Do-heon. It’s important to showcase our skills as a team. If we can do that, we won’t win easily, but we won’t lose easily either.”
Han has also watched the men’s national volleyball team this year. “Even though I didn’t play with them, I’m sure they were trying to do their best in their roles. I think it must have been hard for them because they didn’t get the results they wanted,” he said, adding that he hopes to play a role in helping the players feel less overwhelmed and more comfortable.
“The other Asian teams have grown a lot. Even when I’ve played against them, I can see that they’ve grown tremendously. I think overseas coaches from Europe and other countries have made these teams grow.” “Korea needs to grow a lot to fit into the global volleyball scene. The players should have that idea, and all members, including the federation and leaders, should immerse themselves in it and think deeply,” he said.
South Korean men’s volleyball hasn’t qualified for the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000, while women’s volleyball has slipped to 36th in the world rankings just two years after reaching the quarterfinals at Tokyo 2021. The women’s team is coming off a shocking loss to Vietnam at the Asian Championships. South Korea has lost its reputation as an Asian powerhouse and has been pushed to the margins. Han also lamented the current state of Korean volleyball.
“There is no season in my mind. I’m only thinking about the Asian Games. I don’t care if I’m injured, I just need to win the gold medal,” she said, adding, “I also told the players to trust each other and play with the idea that ‘we are one team. He emphasized the power of the ‘one team’ and showed his determination to win a medal at the Asian Games.