Former Volleyball Star Saori Kimura Cheers on Japan Before Match
Listen to the story
Saori Kimura, a former star player of Japan's women's volleyball team, has shown her support for the national team in two recent moments.
Before Japan's match against Taiwan, Kimura shared a smiling photo of herself on Instagram. In her post, she wrote that she would cheer strongly for the team.
Fans reacted warmly, calling the photo 'too cute.' Many left comments expressing excitement about seeing her support the current players.
Separately, Kimura appeared in person at a match involving the current Japan national team. In a photo taken there, she is seen standing near the players.
Interestingly, Kimura appeared quite small and modest in the picture, even though she was once the team's top ace. Fans found this surprising and funny.
Online, people used playful nicknames for her, joking that she looked like a 'humble senior' standing quietly among the younger players.
Some fans commented that the photo had a lot to comment on because of how unusually shy Kimura appeared compared to her past image as a confident, powerful attacker.
Others said her pose from below made her look 'cute,' adding to the light-hearted online reaction.
The two posts, though small moments, have brought attention and warmth from fans who remember Kimura's strong career and now enjoy seeing her cheerful, humble side.
Vocabulary6 words
- former
- not now; before, but not today
- a phone app for sharing photos
- modest
- not showing pride; quiet and shy
- ace
- the best player on a team
- nicknames
- friendly, informal names for someone
- comment on
- to talk or joke about something
Quiz
Answer key
1. A smiling Instagram photo 2. She looked unusually small and modest 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Saori Kimura, a _____ star player of Japan's women's volleyball team, has shown her support for the national team in two recent moments.
Before Japan's match against Taiwan, Kimura shared a smiling photo of herself on _____. In her post, she wrote that she would cheer strongly for the team.
Fans reacted warmly, calling the photo 'too _____.'
Kimura appeared quite small and _____ in the picture, even though she was once the team's top _____.
Online, people used playful _____ for her, joking that she looked like a 'humble senior.'
Some fans said the photo had a lot to _____ because of how unusually shy Kimura appeared.
Others said her pose from below made her look 'cute,' adding to the light-hearted online _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think fans enjoy seeing former athletes support current teams?
- Have you ever seen a famous person act differently than expected? What happened?
- Why might a photo like this become popular online?
- Do you follow any former sports stars on social media? Why?