“I expected that I would win first place in the fan vote.”
There is a reason for the unstoppable confidence of ‘Volleyball Empress’ Kim Yeon-kyung (35, Heungkuk Life Insurance). When the best Korean volleyball star returned to the ‘star stage’, a full crowd gathered, and Kim Yeon-kyung’s every move was followed by enthusiastic cheers.
Kim Yeon-kyung participated in the professional volleyball V-League All-Star Game held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 29th as an M-Star (player born before 1996). It is the first time in 14 years that Kim Yeon-kyung has played in a domestic all-star game.
Kim Yeon-kyung left for an overseas league in 2009 after being selected as an All-Star three times in a row from the 2005-2006 season, his debut season. In the 2020-2021 season, which returned to the V-League after 11 years, it received the most votes (82,115 votes) in the All-Star vote, but the game was not held due to the aftermath of Corona 19.
Kim Yeon-kyung returned to Korea this season after playing in the Chinese league the following year, and finally stood on the court of the All-Star Game, recording the highest number of votes (82,297 votes) once again. All 2,679 tickets for the All-Star Game, which Kim Yeon-kyung will participate in, were sold in one minute after the online reservation started on the 20th.
Many fans visited the stadium wearing Kim Yeon-kyung’s uniform or carrying placards with Kim Yeon-kyung’s name on them. When Kim Yeon-kyung made a surprise appearance at the instant photo booth in the lobby an hour before the start of the All-Star Game, she was immediately swarmed by fans. 스포츠토토
At the 1st place award ceremony in the All-Star fan vote, Kim Yeon-kyung said, “It’s the first All-Star game in 14 years, and I realize that I’m getting older.” I will,” he said.
The Women’s All-Star Game was played by dividing the teams into M-Stars and Z-Stars (born after 1996). The M-star team, led by Kim Yeon-kyung, included many of the legendary protagonists of the Tokyo Olympics semifinals, such as Park Jung-ah (Korea Expressway Corporation), Yang Hyo-jin (Hyundai E&C), and Kim Hee-jin (IBK Industrial Bank), drawing cheers from fans.
As the player with the most votes, Kim Yeon-kyung started off with the first serve, and led the atmosphere with a delightful dance ceremony whenever a goal was scored. She brought a fan from the stands to her court and gave up the serve, which earned her applause.
Along with Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Hee-jin, she scored 5 points (attack success rate 37.50%), the most in the M-star women’s division. Dali Santana (IBK Industrial Bank), who was not selected for the All-Star Game, appeared wearing the uniform of her teammate Kim Hee-jin and scored instead, and a ‘surprise show’ was also held. Santana’s attack success was counted as Kim Hee-jin’s goal. It’s an all-star game, so it’s possible.