Legendary 'Season Out' Vacation, 'Backup Rivero' Kim Chae-won filled the gap by throwing himself out

*This content was translated by AI.

"It was so heartbreaking, but I felt a lot of pressure realistically."

Libero Kim Chae-won (29) of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea in women's professional volleyball recalled the injury moment of "legend" Lim Myeong-ok (40) four days ago. He met with reporters shortly after the women's home game of the 2025-2026 professional volleyball V-League against Heungkuk Life Insurance at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 6th. Kim Chae-won said, "The moment my sister was hurt, my heart broke, but I felt a great sense of responsibility that I should do it now."

Lim Myung-ok, one of the best female volleyball players, suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon against GS Caltex on the 2nd. Eventually, he is currently recovering in a cast after recently being put on the operating table. Considering the injury area and recovery period, it is actually a "season out." Lim Myung-ok's absence from the season was also a fatal blow to IBK Industrial Bank, which is aiming for spring volleyball, as he is still a key player in the team.

Naturally, the eyes were on Kim Chae-won, the "back-up libero." As the team's main libero last season, he was pushed back to the backup after Lim Myung-ok joined the team. In fact, Lim Myung-ok took over the role immediately in the last GS Caltex match, where he collapsed. And in the match against Heungkuk Life Insurance, he played as a starter for the first time in a long time and went on the court. It was his first start in 327 days.

Lim Myeong-ok's "legend" presence, which he had to fill instead, was proportional to the amount of burden Kim Chae-won felt. He said, "He's a really legendary player in the volleyball game. I was worried about whether I could fill my sister's gap. He just said, "Let's do our best in each ball," "Let's try hard," and "Let's do it without regret."

Fortunately, Kim Chae-won filled the void of Lim Myeong-ok brilliantly. On this day, the receiving efficiency recorded 36.36%, and all eight digs were successful. Thanks to Kim Chae-won's solid defense, IBK Industrial Bank won a 3-0 (25-23, 28-26, 25-15) shutdown over Heungkuk Life Insurance. If the result was not good, it could have led to a rumor of a crisis due to the "Lim Myung-ok vacuum," but Kim Chae-won also erased the anxiety thanks to the players' even performance and good performance.

As he overcame the pressure and played his first game well, he now has confidence as a new main libero for the rest of the season. Kim Chae-won said, "My sister (Lim Myung-ok) often told me good things ahead of the game. She said, "You're older than me, you're older than me," "Trust yourself, do it," and "You can do it," and added, "I was worried, but I think I was able to play a fun game because I trusted the players and played together."

He then said, "I played as a libero last year as well. Not for the first time. "I think I have to do my best while leading the players," he said. "Last year, the receiving was very shaky. The goal is to show a stable performance while showing a good performance in receiving. I will be a stable player so that the team can also be at the top of the list," he said.

Coincidentally, IBK Industrial Bank's acting director Yeo Oh-hyun, who is also from "Legend Rivero," also applauded Kim Chae-won's performance on the day. Acting Yeo Oh-hyun said, "Kim Chae-won did so well. He also covered a lot of receiving, and he was good even in a difficult situation, he said. "It's been a long time since I started, but I don't think there will be any physical problems. "I think my sense of play will get better and better as I play," he said.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.