IBK Industrial Bank Apposite Spiker Kim Hee-jin ended up on the operating table.
Industrial Bank of Korea reported on the 27th that “Kim Hee-jin, who suffered from knee pain since the beginning of the season, underwent knee surgery.”
Kim Hee-jin, who underwent meniscus surgery on her right knee, will begin a rehabilitation period of about a year. It is, in effect, a season-out decision.
Kim Hee-jin, who has been running for 12 years in the original team, signed a contract with an annual salary of 600 million won (450 million won in annual salary, 150 million won in options) this season and at the same time posted his name in the Apogee Spiker position.
Kim Hee-jin has been active in the middle blocker position for about three seasons since the 2019-20 season. However, he showed the possibility of changing his position by switching from time to time in the apogee.
However, Kim Hee-jin’s post-2020 was not smooth. Surgery to remove bone fragments in his right knee and rehabilitation have seen relief. Nevertheless, in the 2021-22 season, the previous season, after Yang Hyo-jin (Hyundai E&C, 502 points) and Park Jung-ah (Korea Expressway Corporation, 440 points), she scored 398 points in a total of 29 business trips, ranking third among domestic players.
Except for the 2022 World Championships, it has been steadily participating in international competitions such as the Olympics, VNL, AVC Cup, and World Cup. 먹튀검증
Kim Hee-jin said in an interview with the off-season magazine last year, “I will focus on weights, take medicine, and take care of my health.” But the situation did not get any better.
He has not been able to start this season due to knee pain. Participated in 90 sets out of a total of 28 matches. The cumulative score is 251 points. On days when there was a gap, Yuk Seo-young filled in as a backup. Occasionally, when he was in good condition, he was selected as a starter and played, then was replaced with Yuk Seo-young to spend the season. To sum up this season, it was ‘in and out’.
Director Kim Ho-cheol also mentioned several times in a pre-interview, such as “I’m thinking about (Kim) Hee-jin every time” and “(Kim Hee-jin’s) knee is not in good condition, but I have to overcome it with mental strength and recover quickly.”
Every time he looked at the warm-up state, he decided whether or not to enter the game, and coach Kim said, “It is very difficult to not be able to decide in advance which players to enter.”
Kim Hee-jin gets his third free agent (FA) qualification after the end of this season. Opposite Spikers from other teams are mostly brought in from the foreign draft. IBK’s bold offense is currently being handled by outside heater Pyo Seung-joo, but it consumes a lot of stamina as he handles both offense and defense with Santana. Even in order to hold this part, the firepower of the aposite is absolutely necessary.
In addition, it is realistically difficult to completely return to the skills of the 20s even after receiving rehabilitation treatment. However, if IBK does not continue to accompany Santana, there is a high probability of adopting another apositive mercenary after the end of this season.
Under the premise of renewing the contract, the club is likely to offer Kim Hee-jin two paths as a player. There is a way to lower the salary and convert the position to an apositive backup or middle blocker. Of course, the final choice is up to the club. It will be difficult for the club to easily knock out a striker who has been with the team for 10 years in his heyday.
An official from the club said, “We plan to provide maximum support for Heejin Kim’s quick return.”
On the other hand, IBK will play against Expressway Corporation at the Hwaseong home stadium on the 3rd (Fri).