Xinming Elementary School handball team double champion returns to top spot after 15 years

The 2026 Taichung Cup National Handball Championship was held in Taichung City from the 16th to the 23rd of last month. The competition attracted a total of 167 teams from all over the country and Asia to compete in 18 groups; Among them, the U12 women's team has missed the championship for two consecutive years in key events and only won third place. This year, with only 9 players and limited rotation space, it broke through domestic and foreign strong teams and finally won the championship for the first time in 15 years.

For the Xinming Elementary School girls' handball team, the U12 girls' championship was hard-won. As they missed the championship in key events for two consecutive years, the players not only faced technical challenges, but also endured a lot of psychological pressure. In addition, seven players were required to leave the game. This year's team only consisted of nine players, which put both manpower and physical conditioning to the test. However, the players showed a high degree of resilience and relied on stable defense, quick transitions and team chemistry to survive high-tension events one after another.

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Head coach Wu Junye said that the biggest breakthrough of the women's team is not only technical progress, but also psychological growth. In the past, pressure would easily affect performance at critical moments. This year, players know better about trusting their teammates, stabilizing their emotions, and being able to follow established tactics even if the score is close. It is this composure that allowed them to finally cross the last hurdle that they had not been able to break through for many years.

In order to break through past bottlenecks, the coaching team specially arranged for the core players to go to Okinawa, Japan, for off-site training before the game. Led by two coaches, Wu Junye and Luo Jiping, they strengthened the players' tactical vision, agility and defensive judgment through different training modes and actual combat exchanges. After returning home, the players did not relax and immediately entered into high-intensity summer training to re-integrate what they learned overseas into team tactics and develop a tacit understanding on the field.

The joint support of teachers and parents was also an important factor in winning the double championship. During the summer vacation, the leading teacher came to the school every day to accompany the players for training, meals, lunch breaks and academic tutoring, and the parent support group also accompanied them all the way. Principal Jiang Zhihui said that the championship after 15 years represents that children still choose to persevere after setbacks, learn to cooperate, withstand pressure and surpass themselves, which is also the most precious value of physical education.