Kim Jae-hwi, a middle blocker in men's professional volleyball, will make a fresh start for his new team, Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance, during the 2024-2025 season. "I want to remain a player who never gives up," Kim said in a training camp for Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance in Shizuoka, Japan.

Kim Jae-hwi, who joined Hyundai Capital as the No. 2 player in the first round of the 2015-2016 season, joined KB Insurance through a trade in the 2020-2021 season. Going through the trade once again, he wore the Woori Card uniform from the 2021-2022 season.메이저놀이터

Then, he faced unexpected bad news. In November 2022, when the 2022-2023 season was underway, Kim Jae-hwi, who was rehabilitating from a knee injury, underwent a medical examination. An aortic aneurysm was found. It is a disease in which some blood vessels swell like balloons. I had to go to the operating table because I was in a bad condition.

He lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. He returned to Woori Card after the surgery, but he already lost 15 kilograms. "It was a time when I was working hard on my rehabilitation, and I thought I would have a good opportunity, but I found an illness that I didn't expect," Kim recalled. "I was worried, but I didn't think that I would be able to run again because Park Cheol-woo (retired) also overcame this disease."

"However, the process of returning to the team was difficult. It was not easy to return to the team," Kim said. "It was very difficult, but I was really grateful to be able to come back and work out. I just needed time, but I never thought that I would not be able to come back."

Kim Jae-hwi, who blew the entire 2022-2023 season, returned to the court last season. He lost ground. "There was no room for me at Woori Card. I felt that my body started to improve little by little after the fifth round of the comeback season. I could never give up," Kim said. "However, due to the team's situation, there was no room for me to play. Still, I didn't want to collapse. I wanted to play whenever I could get a chance in any team."

He became a free-standing player after the end of last season. To Kim Jae-hwi, who was in individual training, Kim Sang-woo, the head coach of Samsung Fire, reached out. Kim, who was contacted in May, met with Kim in person. "I really want to be with you."

"He told me about the coach's plan for the future. The team that I thought was the most certain was the Samsung Fire Department. I didn't hesitate to convey my feelings to the coach," Kim said with a smile. "I thought Samsung Fire Department has the mental strength and potential to win the championship. I believed it was a team that could strengthen enough."

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance officially recruited Kim Jae-hwi in July. "I want to be one of the best 7 players this season and also win the title," Kim said when he visited the nest.

Lastly, Kim Jae-hwi said, "My strength is mental. I am not easily swayed by any situation. I want to be remembered as someone who never gives up and someone who never wavered," adding, "I heard the expression 'man whose heart is beating again' from an acquaintance recently. If I perform well, I think the players who suffered serious injury will be able to endure it."