ethernetacademy.net“I’m sorry.”
Jeon Kwang-in (Hyundai Capital) bowed his head after a shocking loss for the Korean men’s volleyball team.
The South Korean team, coached by Lim Do-heon, lost their men’s volleyball Group C match against India 2-3 (27-25 27-29 22-25 25-20 15-17) in straight sets at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Lingping Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China on Tuesday.
India, ranked 73rd in the world, were considered a step down from 27th-ranked South Korea.
However, it was the Koreans who were brought to their knees in a heartbreaking defeat that will be known as the Hangzhou Disaster.
It was South Korea’s first loss to India in 11 years, after a full-set defeat in the 2012 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup in Vietnam.
“I don’t think I can even say sorry,” said Jeon, who struggled to speak after the match.
“I came in thinking that every game is important and I have to give 100 percent against any team, but I think we fell short,” he said, shaking his head. “This could be my last Asian Games or national team, and I’m sorry to show such a disappointing performance,” he added.
Jeon Kwang-in scored 22 points to power the Korean offense. Na Kyung-bok scored 31 points and Heo Su-bong added 22 points, but it wasn’t enough.
Despite the unexpected ‘disaster’, the tournament is far from over.
The first and second place finishers in each group will advance to the round of 12 tournament. South Korea was in Group C with India and Cambodia.레고토토
While India, who won two games first, topped Group C and advanced to the round of 12, South Korea can keep its medal hopes alive with a win against Cambodia on Nov. 21. Cambodia is an unranked team.
“We still have a game in hand. “The next game (after finishing second in the group) might be tough, but we chose it,” he said, emphasizing that “we chose a tough path, so we have to go through it.
After dropping the first game in vain, it’s all about winning from here on out.
“It’s wrong to play without pressure. All the players should have pressure. They have to realize that it’s different from normal competitions and they have to go crazy,” said Jeon. “The Asian Games itself is not easy. It’s not just about being able to compete, but I hope that I can do it without regrets,” he said, adding that he and his teammates are determined to make a comeback.