Kim Dan-bi (33, Woori Bank) will play her final game for the women’s national basketball team.
The Korean women’s basketball team flew out of Incheon International Airport on Thursday and headed to Hangzhou. In preparation for the Hangzhou 2024 Asian Games, the women’s basketball team has been training together in camp.
But there’s one player in particular who’s been through the process of preparing for and competing in the Games. Kim Dan-bi is the captain of the women’s basketball team. She was first called up to the national team at the 2010 World Championship in the Czech Republic at the age of 20. In the 14 years since, she has consistently answered the call of duty for her country and has been an indispensable resource for the team.
From the time she was called up to the team ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Kim has been training with the idea that this is her last time. “This is really my last time. Anything that is the last time is always special. On the last day of training at the Jincheon Athletes’ Village, the last day we worked out in Korea with the players, she took a picture with her sister. She said, “This will be the last time for her too…
Kim Dan-bi recalled her debut with the national team. “My first game as an adult national team member was against Brazil at the World Championship in the Czech Republic (2010). (Kim) Jiyoon made a steal and we won the game (61-60 in Group C). I remember it vividly because it was my debut for the national team,” she recalled. At the time, Kim played 30 minutes and scored 13 points to help her team to victory. She was the highest scorer on the team.
In her 23 years with the national team, the most memorable tournament was the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Final Qualifier in Nantes. At the time, the women’s team was considered a long shot to win the tournament, but they played an electrifying game of basketball, hitting tons of 3-pointers. Although they finished in sixth place, narrowly missing out on the top five Olympic spots, the team received praise for their performance. “I don’t have many good memories of being on the national team, but Nantes 2016 was one of those tournaments where I thought, ‘This is why I’m on the national team,'” Kim said. Not only domestic media but also foreign media praised us. It was the most memorable because I felt like, ‘This is what a national team is really like,'” she said.카지노
The women’s basketball team is not expected to do well at the Asian Games. Even if China and Japan don’t show up at full strength, there’s a big gap between them and Korea. “At the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, my sisters were definitely better than the Chinese players, but we didn’t win a gold medal,” says Kim Dan-bi. I realized then that it’s really hard to beat China in a competition held in China. This time, we don’t have the same expectations, but we’ve been working hard together. It’s my last time as a national team member, so I want to win the gold medal in style. For the time being, there are no international competitions for women’s basketball. So I want to finish better, and I want to take on the challenge in style.”
After arriving in Hangzhou on the afternoon of the 24th, the women’s basketball team will begin their quest for the Asian title with their first Group C match against Thailand on the 27th. This is the final journey for Kim Dan-bi.