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| Korean volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung hugs head coach Stefano Lavarini after the bronze medal competition against Serbia, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Sunday. Yonhap |
Head coach Lavarini, captain Kim display unity through team spirit
By Lee Min-hyung
The Korean women's volleyball team missed out on winning a much-anticipated bronze medal on the final day of the Olympics, Sunday, but fans have spoken highly of their team spirit despite the crushing 0-3 loss to Serbia.
Korea finished fourth in the high-profile medal race in women's volleyball after losing 18-25, 15-25 and 15-25 against the world's sixth-ranked Serbia.
But Korean fans have applauded members of the team after their final Olympic match in Tokyo, as they displayed a heartwarming spirit of teamwork in every game they played at the Olympics.
The world's 12th-ranked team was overpowered throughout the three-set competition against the former Olympic silver medal winners. But the Korean athletes did not give up and continued to step up their team spirit by encouraging one another.
Captain Kim Yeon-koung scored 11 points, the highest in the team. With Serbian athletes endeavoring to block her powerful spikes, Korea's attacking lineup was shut down by Serbia.
Korea's advance into the semifinal, in itself, was a praiseworthy outcome, as the country was considered an underdog.
Critics have argued Kim and head coach Stefano Lavarini deserve to take the credit for Korea's dramatic advance to the semifinals along with the unprecedentedly strong team spirit.
The competition against Serbia was the last match for Kim as a national team member.
"I have pride as a national team member, but I think this will be my last match as a member of this team," Kim told reporters after the bronze medal competition.
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| Korea's women's volleyball team members encourage one another after losing the bronze medal competition against Serbia at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Sunday. Yonhap |
She expressed no regrets for the match, saying that Serbia deserved to win the bronze.
"I am pleased that our team advanced to this stage, as no one had expected us to reach the semifinals," she said. "I have no regrets for the match."
The charismatic captain went on to share her hopes for younger volleyball players to keep up their good work and generate better results at the next Olympics.
"It was a dreamy time for me, as we captured huge attention from the public at the Olympics," she said. "The Olympics has showed us which way we should go next. My wish is for younger athletes to play harder and extend our winning streak in the future."
Head coach Lavarini also grabbed the attention of the public throughout the Olympics for his leadership. Even if he and Team Korea failed to overcome the overwhelming gap against world-class gold contenders ― such as Brazil and Serbia ― Lavarini's outstanding skills in organizing the team enabled Korea to clinch a dramatic victory against Turkey in the quarterfinal.
