Japan surprise Korea to win Asian Women's Handball Championship

The crowd at the Indira Gandhi Complex in New Delhi that had gathered to watch the Asian Women’s Handball Championship 2024 final between two Asian powerhouses, Korea and Japan, were treated to an edge-of-the-seat thriller that saw Korea take early narrow advantage and then Japan coming back to win the title by 25-24 points.

The final on December 10 was played a brisk pace with Korea picking early pace with two goals in first two minutes. Japan kept themselves in the game especially through No. 13 Kaho Nakayama, who made life miserable for the Korean defence.

While Japan and 16-time champions Korea went neck and neck and were 9-9 in the 23rd minute, the latter moved into lead at half-time with goals in 25th, 27th and 28th minutes.

The champion Japanese team with a couple of young fans 

The crowd comprised both the Korean and Japanese supporters who are based in Delhi-NCR and occupied one side of the indoor stadium.

Japan then picked pace in the second half and got three goals by the third minute to draw level. There were swift rebounds and counter attacks.

The ball shifted ends within seconds.

The teams kept fighting equally till the 19th minute of the second half with both level at 20 each.

But it was there that Japan took one-point lead and kept it intact till the end. Japan got 16 goals in the second half against Korea’s 12.

Korean team after finishing second in the tournament

While Kaho netted seven, Yuki Yoshidome got five goals.  Natsuki Aizawa got four goals.

This was Japan’s second title, as they broke South Korea’s streak of seven straight championship wins.

India, on the other hand, lost to 10-time silver medallists China in the fifth-place playoff. The match ended at 41-30 reverse.

“This was the first time India has hosted the event. Our experience playing in front of our fans was very good. But, our target was a medal this time and in terms of those expectations, we fell short. We’ll learn from our mistakes and we’re looking forward to the next opportunity,” said Menika, one of India’s shining stars at the tournament.

Kazakhstan after beating Iran and finishing third

Kazakhstan secured their second-ever bronze medal in the tournament, following their 28-22 triumph over Iran in the third-place playoff. Meanwhile, Hong Kong-CHN confirmed a seventh-place finish ahead of Singapore, beating the latter 33-18. Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Iran have qualified for the IHF World Women’s Handball Championship 2025 in Germany and the Netherlands.

Tags : Korea, Japan, Asian Women's Handball Championship, New Delhi, Kazakhstan, Iran, India, China