The South Korean women's national handball team, aiming to recapture the Asian Games title for the first time in eight years, got off to a strong start by defeating the underdog Hong Kong team.
Led by head coach Lee Gye-chung, the national team crushed Hong Kong 48–16 (24:8, 24:8) in their opening round-robin match of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Entrio in Inazawa, near Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (September 19).
Wing attackers Lee Won-jung (9 goals, Daegu City Hall) and Jeon Ji-yeon (8 goals, Samcheok City Hall) actively scored goals.
Kim Min-seo (6 goals, Samcheok City Hall) and Woo Bit-na (5 goals, Seoul City Hall) also contributed.
Coach Lee Gye-chung evenly utilized his players to check their conditions.
The seven participating teams in this tournament will play each other once to determine the final rankings.
Having stood at the top at the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, the South Korean women's handball team had to settle for a silver medal after suffering a heavy 19–29 defeat to Japan in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Korea will face Kazakhstan on September 20, Uzbekistan on September 23, China on September 25, and Vietnam on September 26, before playing their final round-robin match against Japan on September 27, which serves as a de facto final.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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