The People’s Republic of China have swept into the semi-finals of the inaugural IHF Women’s Under-16 World Championship, scoring goals at a remarkable rate and leaving their opponents struggling to keep pace. For centre back Meishan Du and her teammates, the tournament has also become an opportunity to show how far Chinese handball has come.

42 goals in three matches is an extraordinary return for any player, particularly in the early stages of a World Championship and especially at such a young age. Du has made it look almost routine, scoring 13 times against the USA, 14 against Kazakhstan and 15 against hosts Morocco as the People’s Republic of China swept through Group A with a perfect record.

She has an average of 14 goals per match, scoring 17 goals on the fast break, alternating powerful shots with skillful moves and dominating the opponents with ease.

China’s 61:10, 43:22 and 53:18 victories against USA, Kazakhstan and Morocco produced a goal difference of +107, with 157 goals scored and only 50 conceded. So far, China have the best attack, scoring 15 goals more than Germany, and the best defence, conceding seven goals less than the European side.

These numbers have been fueled by a Du's astonishing outings, as she converted 78% of her attempts, with just two of her goals coming from penalties. 

 

The centre back is a prominent figure in an attack that rarely allows opponents time to settle. China move the ball quickly, combine well between backcourt players and the line, and are particularly effective when turning defensive stops into fast breaks. 

Their style has a fluency often associated with European handball, while the players’ technical ability allows them to execute combinations at pace.

But this performance has not come from nowhere.

China arrived in Morocco as Asian champions after winning the inaugural AHF Asian Women’s Under-16 Handball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in May. They completed that tournament unbeaten, defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran 45:23 in the semi-finals before beating Uzbekistan 42:25 in the final. Du scored 14 goals in the decisive match, already showing that she could deliver when a title was at stake.

And these performances are not isolated. In fact, they are part of a wider rise in Chinese women’s handball. The country hosted the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship in Chuzhou and the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in Jinzhong, putting international handball in front of home crowds and giving the national programme valuable experience against teams from around the world.

At the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, China finished 15th, ending their campaign with a 24:23 win over the Netherlands. Two years later, at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship on home soil, they placed 14th - their best finish at that level since 1999. The improvement has been gradual, but China have increasingly shown that they can compete beyond the Asian stage.

The clearest sign came at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship in Romania. China beat the hosts 31:24 in the preliminary round, then progressed into the quarter-final stage after a strong main-round campaign. They lost to Hungary 41:36 and Switzerland 38:25 in the closing stages, but recovered to beat Hungary 30:27 in the seventh-place match, securing their best-ever finish in the competition.

 

That seventh-place finish mattered more because it showed China could measure their forces and eventually beat established European teams in meaningful matches, not just dominate opponents closer to home. The current Under-16 side is following that path, with the added advantage of arriving as continental champions and quickly finding its rhythm at the global level.

Du, however, is quick to look beyond her personal achievements. When asked about her ambitions after such a productive start in Morocco, she returned to the team’s objectives.

“Our initial goal was to finish in the top eight. After a good group stage, we are in the the top four,” she said.

That next step is now within reach. China face Hungary in the semi-finals on Thursday,, with the chance to secure a spot in the final of the first IHF Women’s Under-16 World Championship. It would be another significant achievement for a programme whose progress has become increasingly visible across the women’s age categories.

But back to China’s scoring prodigy, and her incredible achievements.

According to her own admission, Du began playing handball on 4 February 2022, and the distance she has covered since then is already remarkable. She is now leading China’s attack at the maiden World Championship she plays in and helped the team approach a semi-final against Hungary brimming with confidence.

 

Yet she hopes the team’s performances will have an impact beyond the tournament itself. China’s international results have drawn attention to a sport that still has room to grow at home, and Du wants the next generation to have more opportunities to discover it.

“I hope more and more people in China will take up handball. I hope the example we set can inspire more people to love the sport,” she said.

It is an ambition that fits the wider development of the programme. Hosting major competitions has helped bring handball closer to Chinese fans, while the results of the youth and junior teams give young players something to aspire to. The challenge now is to build on that interest and ensure the current progress continues into the senior game.

For Du, the immediate focus is much closer. Her 42 goals have made her one of the standout performers in Agadir, scoring 11 goals more than the second best scorer, Kazakhstan’s Nurdana Kyrgyzbay, but the semi-final offers a different test from the group stage. Hungary will bring a higher level of resistance, and China will need the same pace and cohesion that carried them through their first three matches. But China could be well prepared, as the coordinator of their academy is a Hungarian coach, Sandor Zsadány, who led the team at the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship. 

Du’s biggest dream is to continue playing alongside the teammates with whom she has developed, eventually reaching the highest level of the Chinese club game.

“My biggest dream is to play alongside my teammates for one of the top handball clubs in China,” she said.