Mexico strike gold at the NACHC qualification for Slovenia 2022

11 Apr. 2022

Mexico strike gold at the NACHC qualification for Slovenia 2022

The North America and Caribbean Handball Confederation’s qualification event for the 2022 IHF Women’s Junior (U20) World Championship took place in Mexico from 4 to 8 April, with four teams at the start – hosts Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States of America – and the top two progressing to Slovenia 2022.

The tournament was won by hosts Mexico, who secured four wins in four games – in the round-robin part of the tournament, they won 31:17 against Canada, 26:14 against the United States of America and 54:15 against Puerto Rico.

USA finished second in the group phase and progressed to the final where they faced Mexico again. This time around, the game was more balanced, with Mexico taking a 30:29 win that helped them seal the gold medal.

"We have worked very well with the girls, they have managed to follow all the instructions we gave them to have a game with the fewest errors in attack and defence. The truth is that we have to be better and better and work harder and harder,” said Mexico’s coach, Adriana Garcia Castillo.

Mexico qualified for the IHF Women’s Junior (U20) World Championship only for the second time in history, after finishing 18th in 2010, while the United States of America progressed to the competition for the third time, but the first time since 1981.

"As we turn our focus to Slovenia, we will need to look at the entire junior pool again, and put together a strong team for the World Championships. We had many key players who were recovering from injury or unable to change their schedule on short notice. 

“Also, we will need to begin physically preparing ourselves for the rigors of the topmost level of our sport. The training camp in Europe will be key to our success at the World Championship,” said USA’s coach, Craig Rot.

The bronze-medal game of the North America and Caribbean Handball Confederation qualification for the Slovenia 2022 was won by Canada, 34:16 against Puerto Rico.

Final ranking

1. Mexico*
2. USA*
3. Canada
4. Puerto Rico

*Qualified for the 2022 IHF Women’s Junior (U20) World Championship

Photo: Mariano Ríos Ávila