For a Bigger Dream Stage… Goalball Kim Hee-jin Rases her ‘Sub-Character’ Musical Activities

Kim Hee-jin, Goalball Player and Musical Actress, Preparing for Paris Paralympics.

Kim Hee-jin (29), captain of the women's goalball team for the disabled competing in the 2024 Paris Paralympics,

has what is called a 'sub-character' (a sub-character that is not her original identity).

Kim Hee-jin, who learned goalball while in middle school,

was selected as a national goalball team member while in high school,

and has since grown into a key player for the team.

Aside from her goalball career, Kim Hee-jin also works as a musical actress. 바카라사이트

Diagnosed with visual impairment at the age of six,

Kim Hee-jin discovered her musical talent based on her extraordinary hearing ability,

and began her musical career in earnest at the age of twenty.

Kim Hee-jin said, “Goalball is a stage where I can find my true self without anyone’s help,

and musicals are a stage where I can find another self,” and “I feel alive through these two activities.”

Kim Hee-jin, who was doing two jobs at the same time, temporarily stopped her musical acting career.

It was after leading the national team to the finals at the 2022 International Visual Sports Federation (IBSA)

Goalball World Championships.

The national goalball team, led by captain Kim Hee-jin,

earned a ticket to the Paris Paralympics by advancing to the finals of the World Championships,

and Kim Hee-jin has been looking only at the Paralympic stage since then.

With the opening of the games just 40 days away, she has erased the thought of the musical stage from her mind.

Kim Hee-jin, whom we met at the Icheon Athletes' Village in Gyeonggi Province on the 15th said,

"It has been 28 years since the 1996 Atlanta Games that the Korean goalball team has participated in the Paralympics,"

and "I am pouring all my energy into goalball training to write the miracle

of winning a Paralympic medal following the miracle of participating in the Paralympics."

He added, "Since goalball is a sport in which players who are blind participate, teamwork is very important,"

and "We are talking a lot both on and off the training court."

Kim Hee-jin, who has taken on the heavy responsibility of captain, also takes on the dirty work.

He said, "There are some young players on the national team who are much older than me,

and they call themselves 'old farts.'"

The goal of the goalball team at the Paris Paralympics is to stand on the podium.

Although Korea is classified as a lower-ranked team in terms of objective performance,

it has experience in defeating powerhouses Japan and Canada in succession at the World Championships,

so if it prepares well, it can achieve good results at the Paris Paralympics.

Kim Hee-jin  said, "We had a long preparation period since we earned the ticket to the Paris Paralympics two years ago,"

and "I am confident because we prepared hard during that time."

Goalball is a sport for the visually impaired,

where players try to score a ball with a sounding bell into the opposing team's goal.

All players wear blindfolds to cover their eyes during the game.