Kaysar Club dominate to take third title at the Asian Women’s Club League Handball Championship
07 Oct. 2024
The 7th Asian Women’s Club League Handball Championship took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, between 21 and 29 September, with five teams at the start, including the most decorated team in the competition, hosts Kaysar Club, which had previously secured two titles and two runners-up medals in the six editions of the competition.
Five teams from four countries lined up at the start of the competition, with Kazakhstan the only country to have two sides, Kaysar Club and HC Dostyk, while India, Uzbekistan and Kuwait each had one team at the start of the competition.
Only one side secured a 100% winning record and it was Kaysar Club, which was the only team with a positive goal difference, +86 in four matches in the preliminary round, with the Kazakh team securing their third title in the seven editions of the continental club competition.
The first part of the 7th Asian Women’s Club League Handball Championship saw the sides engage in a round-robin format, where Kaysar secured the first place in the standings, with four clear wins.
The first one came against Uzbechka HC, 40:19, where Zlata Zyvagina scored 12 goals. Then, the Kazakh side clinched wins against the Golden Eagles Bharat, 35:20, HC Dostyk, 39:22, and Al-Qurain, 49:16, qualifying into the semi-finals, where they met the fourth-place side, Uzbechka, again.
There, they clinched a 40:16 win, setting up a final against domestic rivals HC Dostyk, which finished second in the preliminary round and disposed of Indian side Golden Eagles Bharat, 31:26, in the semi-finals.
There was no question about the winners, with Kaysar securing a clear 45:23 win over Dostyk, in a match controlled from start to finish, having already taken a clear 26:11 lead at the break.
Zyvagina scored 12 goals and ended up as the top scorer of the competition, with 54 goals, while Alessya Malysheva added 10 more goals in the final to lift their side to a clear win. Kaysar also delivered the MVP of the competition, Veronika Khardina.
In the bronze medal match, the Golden Eagles Bharat secured a 25:24 win over Uzbechka.
All Star Team
Goalkeeper: Zhannat Aitenova (Handball Club Dostyk)
Right Wing: Zhanerke Seitkassym (Kaysar Club)
Right Back: Sarbinaz Saparbaeva (Uzbechka HC)
Center Back: Dana Abilda (Handball Club Dostyk)
Left Back: Menika Menika (Golden Eagles Bharat)
Left Wing: Xeniya Pupchenkova (Kaysar Club)
Line player: Fatima Al-Thawadi (Al-Qurain SC)
MVP: Veronika Khardina (Kaysar Club)
Top Scorer: Zlata Zvyagina (Kaysar Club) (54 Goals)
Final standings:
1. Kaysar Club (KAZ)
2. HC Dostyk (KAZ)
3. Golden Eagles Bharat (IND)
4. Uzbechka HC (UZB)
5. Al-Qurain (KUW)
Photo credit: Olga Egunova / kazpravda.kz