▲ South Korean players lift their gold medals after defeating Japan in the women's handball final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Inazawa Entrio in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 27. (Photo: Yonhap News)
The South Korean women's handball team has returned to the top of the Asian Games for the first time in eight years, fueled by a "one-team" spirit combining veteran leadership and youthful energy.
Led by head coach Lee Gye-chung, the national team secured the gold medal by defeating Japan 27–23 in the final round-robin match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which concluded yesterday (September 27) at the Inazawa Entrio in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Following the conclusion of the 2025–2026 Handball H-League, national team players gathered at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province last May, preparing for the Asian Games through four months of intensive training.
Coach Lee selected 16 players to form the optimal ensemble, centered around 36-year-old veteran duo Kwon Han-na and Ryu Eun-hee (both with Busan Facilities Corporation).
Along with the coach, the roster included two gold medalists from the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, four silver medalists from Hangzhou, and veterans with valuable Olympic experience.
World-class player Ryu Eun-hee boasted the most illustrious resume, having competed in four Olympic stages—London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024—while five other players who participated in the Paris Olympics formed the backbone of the team.
There were also seven young talents born in the 2000s, including Woo Bit-na (Seoul City Hall).
Coach Lee managed the team's six Asian Games matches by heavily utilizing experienced players such as Kwon Han-na, Ryu Eun-hee, and Lee Yeon-kyung (34, Samcheok City Hall) in crucial matches against China and Japan, while properly managing player stamina and giving all squad members regular playing time.
As a result, seven players surpassed the milestone of 20 cumulative points, contributing to the scoring.
Five players born in the 2000s—including Cho Eun-bin (Seoul City Hall), Lee Won-jeong (Daegu Metropolitan City Hall), Lee Hye-won (Busan Facilities Corporation), and Jeon Ji-yeon (Samcheok City Hall)—energized the team with their high-energy play.
Ryu Eun-hee (6 points) and Kwon Han-na (7 points) combined for 13 points—accounting for nearly half of the team's total score—in the de facto final against Japan, fully showcasing the presence of the team's "eldest sisters."
Teamwork surpassed Japan's, prompting team captain Kwon Han-na to remark, "Our teamwork was better than ever."
Building on the confidence gained from reclaiming the Asian summit, expectations are growing over whether the women's handball team can advance to the finals of the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics.
South Korea has built a monumental record of 11 consecutive Olympic appearances up to the Paris Games.
The South Korean women's team remains the only national team, across both men's and women's divisions, to compete in 11 consecutive Olympic tournaments.
Twelve nations will participate in the LA Olympics finals, and South Korea will aim for a direct ticket at the Asian qualifiers to be held in Japan next September.
Although South Korea lost to Japan at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023, the team outpaced Japan to secure a berth at the 2024 Paris Olympics during the Asian qualifiers held earlier in August of that year.
Japanese women's handball, which has chased closely behind South Korea, has been blocked by South Korea's barrier and has only advanced to the Olympic finals twice, including the Tokyo Olympics hosted on home soil in 2020.
Immediately following the victory, Coach Lee stated, "While generational change is important, I asked the veteran players not to retire and to take responsibility in preparing for the LA Olympics so that South Korean women's handball can continue its record of 12 consecutive Olympic appearances."
This is because the synergistic effect of the youth-experience combination achieved this time can continue to exert power in next year's Asian qualifiers.
If young players grow further and veteran players, who have left major marks in Korean handball history, continue to push from behind, the probability of women's handball heading to LA increases.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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