1. Kim Yeon-koung is an outside hitter and the former captain of the South Korean National Team.
40 Facts About Kim Yeon-koung
1. 2.
Kim Yeon-koung announced her retirement from the national team in August 2021.
3.
Kim Yeon-koung signed another two-year extension with Fenerbahce and extended it for another season in 2016.
4.
Kim Yeon-koung is the first player in the history of Asian volleyball to receive an MVP award in the CEV Women's Champions League.
5.
Kim Yeon-koung is the first player to have four entries in the list of those to have scored 30 points or more in a single Olympic Games match in volleyball.
6.
Kim Yeon-koung received the spotlight of the Korean media due to her outstanding physical condition and performance in the high school stage.
7.
Kim Yeon-koung made her international debut at the World Grand Champions Cup, where she ranked as 3rd best scorer.
8.
Kim Yeon-koung was selected as the MVP for both the regular season and championship and was the best spiker of the regular season.
9.
Kim Yeon-koung received another knee surgery soon after, forcing her to miss the Olympic Qualification for the Beijing Olympics.
10.
Kim Yeon-koung was best scorer of the regular season with 696 points in total, leading JT to end first place in the regular season.
11.
Kim Yeon-koung was voted for the 'Fighting Spirit Award' and 'Best 6'.
12.
JT Marvelous assumed the champion title as a result and Kim Yeon-koung was named MVP and 'Best 6'.
13.
JT Marvelous became the champions of the Kurowashiki Tournament, and Kim Yeon-koung was again voted as 'Best 6'.
14.
Kim Yeon-koung then participated in the Grand Prix, Asian Championship, and World Cup.
15.
Kim Yeon-koung was the best scorer and best spiker of the 2011 Asian Championship.
16.
Kim Yeon-koung and her agency claimed that she was a free agent, while Heungkuk claimed that she was still tied to the club as a player on loan, citing that she played in the Korean League for four seasons, two seasons short of the qualification as stipulated by the Korea Volleyball Association regulations.
17.
Kim Yeon-koung countered that she had completed all six seasons with Heungkuk, noting that she played four seasons in Korea, two on loan at JT Marvelous and one on loan at Fenerbahce.
18.
In that document, Heungkuk accused Kim Yeon-koung of mispresenting the truth and using false arguments.
19.
Kim Yeon-koung should try to solve this problem under the right principles and rules as soon as possible.
20.
Kim Yeon-koung didn't extend her contract with Heungkuk because she didn't want to belong to them anymore.
21.
At a news conference, Kim Yeon-koung threatened to retire from the national team if her questions were not answered.
22.
Kim Yeon-koung later recalls that he saw potential in her to become "one of the best players in the world" despite being relatively unknown in Europe.
23.
Kim Yeon-koung showed a phenomenal performance in her first season playing in Europe, as she helped Fenerbahce claim their first CEV Champions League champion title.
24.
Kim Yeon-koung was awarded best scorer and MVP of the tournament, and was first in both serving and attacking as well.
25.
Kim Yeon-koung was selected as Most Valuable Player of the tournament, becoming the 3rd MVP with no medal after Cintha Boersma and Barbara Jelic.
26.
Kim Yeon-koung decided not to have surgery for her right knee after tearing her meniscus during the match against Brazil in the Olympics.
27.
Kim Yeon-koung then participated in the 2013 Asian Championship where she was best scorer and best server.
28.
In 2016, Kim Yeon-koung was selected as a member of the FIVB Athletes' Commission, which is a group that works as a "link between volleyball players and FIVB".
29.
Kim Yeon-koung was selected as best outside spiker of the tournament.
30.
Kim Yeon-koung ended her contract with Fenerbahce where she had spent the past six seasons, and moved to Shanghai.
31.
Kim Yeon-koung played a decisive role in securing a ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Asian Continental Qualifiers held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
32.
Kim Yeon-koung was diagnosed with a torn abdominal muscle and missed the semifinal match against Chinese Taipei.
33.
Kim Yeon-koung is considered to be the best player of Korea since playing for the National Team since 2005, topping the score and attack statistics leaderboard in almost every single game.
34.
Kim Yeon-koung has suffered from various injuries throughout her athletic career and has had four knee surgeries alone during 2006 to 2009 while playing for Heungkuk Life.
35.
In 2014, Kim Yeon-koung broke her toenail whilst training, forcing her to miss a game against Eczacibasi VitrA ahead of playing the 100th game for Fenerbahce.
36.
Kim Yeon-koung played with a taped hand in the championship game against GS Caltex Seoul KIXX.
37.
Kim Yeon-koung is dedicated in youth sports development and runs a sports academy and multiple charity activities under her name.
38.
Kim Yeon-koung created her YouTube channel on the 14th of July 2019 where she frequently posts videos to share her daily life with her fans.
39.
Kim Yeon-koung is the first volleyball player to achieve more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
40.
Kim Yeon-koung currently has over one million followers on Instagram, making her one of the most followed volleyball players in the whole world.