"I didn't think about being a leader at all." I was surprised to see my junior at the retirement ceremony. A V-League legend who achieved everything as I thought... Can we see each other on the court

*This content was translated by AI.

V-League legend Yang Hyo-jin (37, Hyundai Engineering & Construction) opened the way as a leader.

Yang Hyo-jin said at his retirement ceremony held at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, on the 8th, "I felt comfortable when I announced my retirement decision to the club and the manager. I was relieved that the decision to retire was announced, but now that I'm having a retirement ceremony, I had a lot of thoughts the day before," he said.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction's Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League regular league women's sixth round match against Pepper Savings Bank was the last time Yang Hyo-jin greeted home fans before spring volleyball. Best friend Kim Yeon-kyung (38) visited the retirement ceremony, and former colleagues congratulated him through videos. Yang Hyo-jin, who calmly looked at the retirement ceremony, shed tears as she saw her family and colleagues.

Yang Hyo-jin said, "I took pictures with my family and saw close people such as (Kim) Yeon-kyung, director, and (Kim) Da-in, and all of a sudden, I felt joy, sorrow and pleasure with them. I really didn't want to cry today, but I felt that way as the hard and enjoyable things passed through my head," he said with an awkward smile.

Yang Hyo-jin, who was selected as the fourth in the first round of the 2007-2008 V-League Rookie Draft, is a one-club player who played only in Hyundai E&C for 19 seasons. In addition, it left a big mark in the history of the Korean V-League beyond Hyundai Engineering & Construction. The women's team ranked third (461 points) in cumulative serve in the history of the women's team, and 8,375 points (before the game on March 8) ranked first in cumulative scores in the history of men's and women's integration, and 1,741 points in blocking.

Yang Hyo-jin responded, "I've always set goals since I was a rookie. I wanted to play my first season and become an award-winning player. After going to the awards ceremony, I wanted to be on the record, and I also wanted to be the highest paid person." He said, "I ran because I wanted to try MVP, but at the end, I wanted to be a helpful player for the team. That was really the last stop. I wanted to be more helpful to the team and to have an image of being really good anywhere from the fans' perspective. That's why I was able to play more easily."

It is a legend that has achieved everything as planned. With his excellent self-management, he engraved his name in V-League history for a long time. He won eight V-League Round MVP awards and five V-League Blocking Awards, including two regular league MVP, one championship MVP, and one monthly MVP, the predecessor of the round MVP. With its steady popularity, he attended the All-Star Game 17 times, the most for both men and women, and the MVP of the All-Star Game once.

In the middle blocker position, it is not enough to say that he is a legend. From the 2009-2010 season to the 2019-2020 season, he ranked first in a total of 12 blocked goals, including wins for 11 consecutive seasons. Naturally, he was also selected as the best 7 middle blocker for the 10th and 20th anniversaries of the V League, and the best 7 awards were 10 times, the most for both men and women.

Yang Hyo-jin has countless nicknames, but he was most attached to the cutie (giant cutie) he got with the Taegeuk mark. In fact, he was the main player in the heyday of Korean women's volleyball. Starting with being selected as the best middle blocker at the 2009 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup and the 2010 AVC Cup, he became the main player in three consecutive Asian Games, including the 2010 Guangzhou silver, the 2014 Incheon gold, and the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang bronze.

On the Olympic stage, he was selected twice (2012 and 2016) as the best middle blocker in the world qualifying round, leading the semifinals in London 2012, the quarterfinals in Rio 2016, and the semifinals in Tokyo 2020. In addition, he contributed to the best middle blocker at the 2014 AVC Cup, the 2015 runner-up at the Asian Championships, and the third place in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2019.

Yang Hyo-jin said, "The giant cutie is the most memorable. It was interesting that he got an unexpected nickname at a young age at the 2012 London Olympics. It was a time when a lot of fans came in. "I was tall when I was young, but I think I gained weight on my face, but I'm still a little embarrassed now."

For his juniors, Yang Hyo-jin was not a pushy senior, but a senior who became an example by silently existing. Yang Hyo-jin said, "I'm not the type to talk to my juniors separately because of my personality. However, the players I'm currently working with and everyone said what I'm thankful for is that I've learned a lot from what I've been doing. I felt very proud at that time," he said.

"I don't know if it's because I'm old, but not long ago, my juniors had an event and gave me bouquets and letters, but I cried. I don't usually cry a lot, but it was touching. He bowed his head, saying, "It was good that my juniors worked out together, thank you, but I also liked it."

A child who dreamed of becoming a teacher as a child will soon finish a chapter as a legend in a field. I don't know how the next chapter will begin yet.

Yang Hyo-jin said, "I haven't thought about what I'll do in detail yet. The advice I heard from people around me was not to close it too much, but to do many things you can. I've only been playing volleyball since I was in the fourth grade of elementary school, and I wanted to experience something else. (Kim)Yeon-kyung may be on YouTube," he joked.

At the same time, "It was my dream to be a teacher. In the meantime, I thought about teaching only at school, but people around me said that the dream should be a leader. At first, I really didn't think of a leader, but as a leader, I think I can try if I get a situation where I can expand my knowledge and do it or if I have confidence," he said.

Yang Hyo-jin's future is bright because she has a family who always supports her decision, especially her husband. Yang Hyo-jin said, "My husband and I have a very different personality. Perhaps because I have a career that I have built, I don't express my opinion carelessly. "When I told him I was going to retire a few years ago, he told me to do as I please," he said.

"If you just ask me to tell you once, I will never do it. Sometimes I'm a little disappointed that you respect my choice more than any advice. But I don't think I'm saying much because I'm the type to do what I want to do in the end anyway," he said with a smile.

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

*This content was translated by AI.