Seonhyung Kim aims for another gold medal.
The Republic of Korea men’s basketball team departed through Incheon Airport on the 23rd to participate in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The national team had a difficult time selecting players due to a series of injuries. However, the players sweated silently, looking only at Hangzhou, and now the time for the final match has arrived.
The determination of national team captain Kim Seon-hyung, whom I met at Incheon Airport, was significant. He expressed his determination to return with a gold medal. Kim Seon-hyung, along with Kim Jong-gyu, is the only member of the national team to have experienced an Asian Games gold medal.
Kim Seon-hyeong said, “I am leaving with the mindset that I will definitely come back after winning a gold medal. The preparation period was not completely smooth, but I felt the will and spark within the players rising as they said that they would leave immediately tomorrow. With that, I will put on a good performance in China.” did.
Regarding his physical condition, he said, “Because I started late, I don’t think I’m 100%. Still, I did my best to improve and prepared with the intention of doing as much as I can.”
There were quite a few players on the team who were experiencing the Asian Games for the first time, and there were many young players in the overall generational change trend. Kim Seon-hyung’s experience participating in the Incheon Asian Games and Jakarta Asian Games is expected to be of great help to his juniors. Kim Seon-hyung hoped that his juniors would not be nervous and show off their skills in big games.
Kim Seon-hyung said, “I told my juniors not to feel too much pressure and enjoy the Asian Games because it is a big game. And since I am the most experienced member of the team, I told them, ‘Just trust me.’ In fact, my physical condition did not improve quickly.토토사이트 “I’m half worried,” he said.
He added, “We emphasized that injuries are something we cannot control. We will try to do the best we can and the coach will make good use of substitute players, so we told him to trust that and go forward.”
Korea, in the same group as Qatar, Indonesia, and Japan, is expected to advance to the next round, but they must not let down their guard. In international competitions, unexpected events can occur at any time.
Kim Sun-hyung also emphasized, “This is a competition where you can never let down your guard. The first goal is to pass the preliminaries in first place. I think I will have to lead the team well toward that goal.”
In particular, in this tournament, a match between Korea and Japan is scheduled starting from the group stage. Kim Sun-hyung was unable to play in the friendly match against Japan held last July due to an injury.
Kim Sun-hyung said, “When I was just cheering on the bench, I really wanted to play. I think the juniors did very well and showed a competitive side. This time, we played against Japan, and I don’t remember losing to Japan while playing as a player. We continued the momentum this time. “I wish I could go out,” he emphasized.
When asked about the difference between the members this time and the Incheon Asian Games where they won the gold medal, they said, “The players worked very hard and their individual skills seem to have improved a lot compared to then. If their strength was their organizational skills back then, their individual skills seem to have improved now, so they are making good use of that. “I think if we do that, a good medal color will come out,” he explained.
If they meet the host country, China, in the upper round, the opponent’s home advantage is also a mountain that the national team must overcome. As captain, Kim Seon-hyung pledged to keep the players centered so that they do not waver in such variables.
Kim Seon-hyung said, “I couldn’t go to the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, so I watched it on TV. At that time, (Park) Chan-hee and (Oh) Se-geun came and told me that they were really territorial. It would be better if you prepare psychologically for that part in advance. “I think the results will come out. My role is to encourage and comfort my juniors in dealing with unexpected situations. I will definitely come back with a gold medal around my neck because I worked hard.”