The Republic of Korea snatched their eighth title in the women’s handball competition at the Asian Games, securing six wins in six matches, including a 27:23 win in the decider against title holders Japan.

The women’s handball competition featured for the tenth time in history at the Asian Games, a competition which for this edition saw over 4000 athletes complete in 469 medal events in 43 sports.

In the women’s handball competition, seven teams lined up at the start, featuring in a round-robin group, where every team played against each other and the medallists were decided by the final standings of the group.

The battle was always going to be the one between the Republic of Korea and Japan, one which became clear as the rounds were elapsed, with both teams securing wins until the decider, which took place on Sunday, 27 September, in the Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium, in Inazawa.

The Republic of Korea had the upper hand, boasting a bigger goal difference after their first five matches, therefore having the option of a draw in the final match.

Korea started with a clear 48:16 win over Hong Kong, China, following up with another clear win, 42:18, against Kazakhstan, already taking a clear option to clinch the title, thanks to their attacking performance.

They did not show any signs of stopping, with a 43:13 win over Uzbekistan and another dominating performance, 37:17, against another medal challenger, the People’s Republic of China.

With goal difference being crucial in such a format, Korea also dominated Vietnam, 46:18, to continue their excellent run of form, as they boasted a +134 goal difference, way better than Japan’s +101 after five matches.

Japan opened their account with a 40:14 win over Vietnam and followed up with a 43:12 win over Uzbekistan, and a 36:19 win over Hong Kong, China, before slowing down against the People’s Republic of China, which put up a better challenge than against Korea.

Japan only took a 33:27 win, but then beat Kazakhstan, 39:24, as they geared up for their match against Korea, which was the de-facto final of the competition.

But Korea dominated the start of the match, taking a 7:4 lead after 10 minutes, with three goals each scored by right back Ryu Eun Hee and captain Han Kwon.

With another 3:0 unanswered run, followed by a 3:1 run, Korea opened a larger gap at the break, 16:12, and Japan were left with a mountain to climb. And they had nothing left in the tank, with Minseo Kim starting the second half flawlessly, with four goals, as the gap went to five goals, 23:18, after 51 minutes.

There was nothing that Japan could do, rather than cut the lead to two goals, with four minutes left, but another 3:0 salvo by Korea decided the match, helping Korea take a 27:23 win.

Han Kwon scored seven times in the match, followed by Ryu Eun Hee, with six goals, while goalkeeper Saeyoung Park had 12 saves for a 41% saving efficiency, bringing Korea the win.

The People’s Republic of China finished third in the final standings and snatched the bronze, with wins over Kazakhstan (34:24), Uzbekistan (37:14), Hong Kong, China (37:19) and Vietnam (37:27).

Kazakhstan were fourth, Uzbekistan fifth, while Hong Kong, China and Vietnam and sixth and seventh respectively.

Kazakhstan’s Irina Khassakhanova and Vietnam’s Anh Nguyen were the top scorers of the competition, with 38 goals each, while Japan’s Minami Matsuura was third, with 32 goals.

Korea won their 10th medal in 10 edition in the women's competition at the Asian Games, and their eighth gold medal. Japan have secured their fourth silver and eighth medal in total, while China have finished on the podium for the seventh time, clinching their fourth bronze medal.

Photo credit: AHF