Lim Seong-jin, 24, is nicknamed "Prince of Suwon" in men's volleyball. This is because it is easy to find female fans at Suwon Gymnasium. With 900,000 social media followers, Lim also has skills that are not very popular. He was selected as a member of the national team and won the first MVP award in the last two rounds. His team, Korea Electric Power Corporation, also recovered from its initial slump to rise to fourth. He met Lim Sung-jin, who was born in the Year of the Rabbit, at Uiwang Gymnasium.
Lim has been a hot topic of conversation since he was a student at Sungkyunkwan University. It was all thanks to his handsome face and cool body as a model. He displayed good performance and skills enough to represent his youth. Lim, who joined the pro league in 2020, ranked second overall among the players. He immediately got the opportunity to play, but it took some time for the team to blossom. He finally became a starting member this year, exploding his potential. During the off-season, he played for the Korean national team while wearing the Taegeuk mark.
In the 2023-24 season that opened in October, the team showed further growth. The team not only displayed strong attack strength and height (1 meter 95 centimeters), but also improved receiving and defense. The team was ranked among the top in all categories including score (11th), success rate (10th), serve (9th), and defense (receiving dig) among Korean players. This is one of the top three records among Korean players. It also ranked second overall in voting for the All-Star Game to be held in January next year, following Shin Young-seok, a senior member of its team.
"I've been so busy. I think busy is a good thing for athletes. I think I've had a meaningful year," Lim said. "I'm not particularly greedy about personal records. I want to be a player who is good at everything." Lim, who has 68 percent success rate for rear-end attacks, said, "Pipe (rear-center) attacks are usually one-blocking. I think we need to make sure we get points. The setter Seung-woo also trusts me and lifts the ball up."
Kim Ji-han (Uri Card), a friend of the same age as Lim Sung-jin, even asked how he endured the losing streak. "Since the team was in a bad situation, I only wanted to win," Lim said. "I was evaluated as 'Korea will do well' even before the opening game, but I think I tried too hard and got off to a bad start." "I was nervous and had a hard time, but I felt that I am getting better as the games progressed, and I think I have achieved a seven-game winning streak thanks to that." Although the winning streak ended, KEPCO jumped to fourth place (8 wins and 8 losses) and joined the battle to secure ranking.
Thanks to this, Lim won the MVP award in the second round for the first time in his career. "I just wanted to continue my winning streak," Lim said with a smile, as he turned his coffee around even before receiving the MVP prize. I didn't want to be excited, but people around me said, "You can get it. I think I got it because the team did a better job than me."
Lim has taken a step further thanks to his steady weight training. "I weighed 82 kilograms last year. Before the start of this season, I weighed 86,87 kilograms. I thought I might have gained weight, but I didn't feel heavy. My body fat percentage remained the same at 9 percent. I feel like I have gained more weight (with more muscles)." "I was not physically tired at all. I played a lot in games, but I did not hit as much as foreign players. I want to hit and receive as much as I do," Lim said.
Lim, who had more than 200,000 followers when he was a student at Jecheon Industrial High School, already has 1 million followers. Fans from other countries, including Thailand, Japan and Taiwan, also visited Suwon to see him. "Thank you for coming all the way to Korea and rooting for me," Lim said. When asked about his looks ranking among volleyball players, he said, "Moon Sung-min (Hyundai Capital) is truly an acknowledgement. There are a lot of good looking people," and he carefully ranked himself second.
Lim Seong-jin is an introverted "I" type in the personality type test. "Sungjin is introverted, so he gives more compliments than rebukes," said Kwon Young-min, coach of Korea Electric Power Corporation. He sleeps up to 12 hours a day on days off, watches delivery food, and stays home all day long.
Lim tried to change his personality. "As an athlete, I thought I needed an outgoing part, so I tried hard. I purposely try to make my movements bigger when I get a point," Lim said. "I especially exchanged wonderful performances when I served with my friend Kim Ji-han, who also played for KEPCO. "I didn't hit Ji-han intentionally, but I had to serve that course. But I had fun and joy. Since fans like me, I want to do better," Lim said.
"I happened to learn that 'long thoughts make courage disappear'," Lim said. "There are times when you have a lot of thoughts during a game, and the result is often bad. Considering the fast and sensitive characteristics of volleyball, I felt like the right thing to say. I am trying to be bolder." Lim said, "It is my fourth year in my career. As I gained experience, I feel more relaxed on the court. Sometimes it is better to play without hesitation or ignorance than before." 스포츠토토사이트
Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), where Lim Seong-jin grew up, ranked third last season. This season, the team gained more strength after recruiting Ryohei Iga (Japan) through the Asian quarter. Both Lim and KEPCO are now looking to win their first championship. "I don't look far away, I just think that I will win the next game. If I take that step, I think I will be close to winning the title," Lim said.