Lee Kang-in, Korea World Cup finals – Team PSG dreams of winning
Cha Jun-hwan aims for first winter AG medal in figure skating men’s singles
Yoo Hae-ran wins his first major title and tries again for the lowest number of strokes… So Hyeong-jun’s return, looking forward to 2025 being the year of Dae Hyeong-jun
Pro Basketball Yoo Sang “LG to the championship game”… Lee Da-hyun aims for ‘2nd consecutive overall win – Blocking Queen’
The new year of the ‘Year of the Blue Snake’ has arrived. The blue snake is an animal that symbolizes wisdom and change. As the new year dawns, there are ‘Snake Sports Stars’ born in 2001 who have bold aspirations to make 2025 their year. We introduce you to those who are ready to take a new leap forward.
A representative Snake sports star is Lee Kang-in, a national soccer player born in 2001. Lee Kang-in, who is in his 7th year as a member of the A national team (adult national team), is expected to play a pivotal role in the team in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 3rd qualifiers to be held in the first half of the year. Lee Kang-in also started in all six games of the third preliminary round held last year. In particular, while national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo mentioned the possibility of young players being used, saying, “We will run a future-oriented team,” it is important for Lee Kang-in, who is the youngest of the starting members, to play a bridge role. Korea, currently leading Group B of the third preliminary round, will attempt to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time. Group 1 and 2 advance directly to the finals.
His team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), will challenge for the championship trophy. PSG, which is attempting to win the French Ligue 1 title for the fourth time in a row, is also currently competing in the UEFA Champions League and the Coupe de France (French Cup). However, in the Champions League league phase, they are ranked 25th out of 36 teams, so they desperately need a rebound. Fans are expecting Lee Kang-in, who has 6 goals and 2 assists this season, to warm up Korea’s dawn with a hot offensive show.
‘Figure skating prince’ Cha Jun-hwan (24) will participate in the Harbin Winter Asian Games, which opens in February. This is the first time that Cha Jun-hwan is participating in the Winter Asian Games, which are being held again eight years after the 2017 Sapporo Games. Cha Jun-hwan, who withdrew from the 5th round of the International Skating Union (ISU) Senior Grand Prix last November due to pain in his right ankle, has since focused on preparing for this year’s Asian Games, Four Continents Championships, and World Championships. In the first round of national team selection held in December last year, they proved to be the strongest player in the country by beating their competitors by more than 20 points.
The main competitors in the Asian Games are expected to be Japanese athletes, including Yuma Kagiyama (22), silver medalist at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. If Cha Jun-hwan wins a medal, he will become the first Korean figure skater to stand on the podium at the Asian Winter Games. The more cleanly you perform in the difficult quadruple jump, the closer you get to a medal.
Yoo Hae-ran, who is in her third season on the LPGA Tour, is also a star born in the Year of the Snake, born in 2001. Yoo Hae-ran, who was the 2023 Tour Rookie of the Year and has two wins on the U.S. stage, is currently ranked 7th in the women’s golf world rankings, the highest among Korean players. Yoo Hae-ran continued his stable performance last season by participating in 26 competitions and passing the cut 23 times. Yoo Hae-ran, who competed for the lowest scoring award (Bear Trophy) until the end of the season, missed out on the trophy with 70.00 strokes, 0.01 strokes behind Japan’s Ayaka Furue (69.99 strokes). In the new year, I will try again to achieve the lowest score award that I was unable to achieve. Adding winning his first major championship would be the icing on the cake.
In professional baseball, KT pitcher So Hyun-jun (24) is trying to regain his honor. Hyun-Jun So, who made a brilliant debut in 2020 by being named the KBO League’s Rookie of the Year, established himself as a leading right-handed starter in the league, but suffered ups and downs due to elbow surgery in 2023. Soong-Jun So, who returned as a bullpen pitcher in September of last year, is gradually showing signs of revival by taking the mound in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 following the fall baseball season.
In the new year, I dream of becoming a ‘left-right duo’ with left-handed pitcher Oh Won-seok, born in 2001, who moved to the trade. Fans are looking forward to seeing him as ‘Daehyungjun,’ who was especially strong on big stages such as fall baseball games. As So Hyun-jun recovers his reputation, KT’s fall baseball season is expected to last longer.
In men’s professional basketball, LG Yoo Yu-sang (24) and in women’s professional volleyball, Hyundai E&C’s Lee Da-hyun (24) are confident of their performance as Snake stars. Second-year guard Yoo Yu-sang, who proudly took first place in this season’s All-Star fan/player vote, is determined to lift the team to the championship stage, which it has not been able to do even after finishing second in the regular league for the past two consecutive seasons. LG, which is on an 8-game winning streak, will challenge for its 9th game in a row against first-place SK on New Year’s Day. Lee Da-hyun, a 6-year middle blocker, is determined to maintain her current No. 1 spot in blocking and become the blocking queen for the first time. The more Lee Da-hyun plays his role, the closer Hyundai Engineering & Construction gets to winning the regular league and championship games for two consecutive seasons. Lee Da-hyun, who will become a free agent (FA) after this season, also dreams of advancing to overseas leagues.
Reporter Kang Hong-gu [email protected]
Reporter Kim Jeong-hoon [email protected]
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