'We beat Japan again in the decisive match': Women's handball claims Asian Games gold medal for the first time in eight years [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean women's handball national team has reached the summit of the Asian Games for the first time in eight years.

Under the leadership of head coach Lee Gye-cheong, South Korea defeated Japan 27-23 in the sixth match of the women's handball tournament at the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games held on the 27th at Entrio Gymnasium in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture.

Handball competition proceeds without a knockout stage; seven teams compete in a round-robin format to determine the champion. Both South Korea and Japan finished with five consecutive wins before facing each other, making this match effectively the final.

With today's victory, South Korea secured first place on the podium with six straight wins (12 points). Japan (5 wins, 1 loss) claimed silver, while China (4 wins, 2 losses) took bronze.

This marks the first time since the 2018 Jakarta·Palembang (Indonesia) Asian Games that South Korean women's handball has won gold at the Asian Games. In the previous tournament held in 2023 (the 2022 Hangzhou Games), they lost to Japan in the final and failed to win the title, but this time they achieved revenge with a victory.

Furthermore, South Korean women's handball has reached the top of the podium eight times out of ten tournaments held from the 1990 Beijing (China) Games through this year's edition, solidifying their position as Asia's strongest team.

South Korea took an early lead with consecutive goals by Ryu Eun-hee and Kwon Han-na in the first half. They repeatedly repelled Japan's counterattacks and finished the first half leading 16-12.

Japan intensified its pursuit in the second half, narrowing the gap to two points after Han Mi-seul was sent off near the end of the match. However, South Korea's focus remained unshaken. Instead, they began widening the gap again toward the final moments and secured the victory.

Following victories by men's basketball and women's basketball in decisive matches against Japan, women's handball also concluded their campaign with a win over Japan on the final stage, reaping valuable results.

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*This content was translated by AI.