South Korea women’s Handball swept India in the first match of the Asian Qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The South Korean women’s handball team, led by head coach Henrik Signell (SWE), defeated India 53-14 on Sunday at the Maeda Housing East Sports Center in Hiroshima, Japan, in the first match of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Asian Qualification Tournament. With the win, South Korea improved to 6-0 all-time against India.

Shin Eun-ju kicked a game-high nine goals for both teams. Right back Jung Ji-in (23, Omron, Japan) added seven goals and Kang Kyung-min six.

South Korea came out firing from the start. At 2-2, they scored four straight goals and found the back of the net eight times in a row to take a 14-3 lead.

South Korea closed off the opposition’s scoring path with solid defense and used quick feet and long, accurate passes to close out the first half with a 28-7 lead. The scoring came from a variety of positions, with Kang Kyung-min (27-Gwangju City Corporation), left back Cho So-yeon (29-Seoul City Hall), and left wing Shin Eun-joo (30-Incheon City Hall) each contributing four goals.

After taking an early lead, South Korea poured in 25 goals in the second half to put India away. All players except goalkeepers Jung Jin-hee (24-Seoul City Hall) and Park Jo-eun (25-Gwangju City Corporation) scored.

Signe, who took over from Kim Rasmussen (Denmark) in April, got off to a flying start with the win on her debut. The team’s prospects of qualifying for their 11th consecutive Olympic Games have also brightened.

South Korea will play China on Sept. 18, followed by Kazakhstan on Sept. 21 and Japan on Sept. 23.

Only 12 countries have qualified for the Olympic Games in women’s handball. The Olympic hosts, the winner of the 2023 World Women’s Handball Championship, the winners of the four continental qualifiers (Europe, America, Africa and Asia), and the top six finishers in the Olympic playoffs.

If South Korea finishes first in the five-nation Asian qualifier, they will advance directly to the Olympic Games. A second-place finish would earn them the final qualifying spot to compete one more time against countries from other continents. The team is looking to go undefeated in the four-game tournament.

Korean women’s handball has competed in 10 consecutive Olympic Games, including Los Angeles 1984 (silver), Seoul 1988 (gold), Barcelona 1992 (gold), Atlanta 1996 (silver), and Tokyo 2021.

This is the most consecutive Olympic Games appearances by any men’s or women’s national handball team in the world. The South Korean women’s team is the only team to qualify for nine consecutive Olympic Games, with the Spanish men’s team reaching the London 2012 Games. 먹튀검증