
Reclaim gold medal for the first time in 8 years with victory over Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
AI-generated summary
Korean women's handball lost to Japan at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and ended up with a silver medal, but avenged itself in this tournament and regained the gold medal for the first time in eight years.
(Inazawa [Japan] = Yonhap News) Reporter Jang Hyeon-gu = Coach Lee Gye-cheong, who led the women's handball gold medal harvest at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games at the Asian Games, said with a flushed expression, "I am honored."
Coach Lee defeated Japan 27-23 in the final match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games full league, which ended on the 27th in Entrio, Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and received the championship trophy.
Coach Lee expressed his feelings about winning at the official press conference after the medal ceremony, saying, “I am happy to be the main character at the end and happy to be able to hear the national anthem at the end.”
He expressed his gratitude to the players who must have suffered through the hard training, saying, "I have been training under pressure since I started preparing for the competition. The players had a hard time because they lost badly to Japan in Hangzhou, but I had a strong will to never do that again, so I got good results."
Korea won the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Games in a row, but lost 19-29 to Japan at the 2022 Hangzhou Games and ended up with a silver medal.
Coach Lee said, "It's my first gold medal in 8 years, so it's an honor for me personally, and I know that there are players who won gold medals this time and are eligible for a medalist pension," and added, "It's good that young players have a good opportunity, and our handball has a chance to take a leap forward."
Coach Lee said that because there were many injured players, five players took turns in central defense, and although there were many crises, the goalkeeper made a good save to overcome the crises and win the gold medal. He repeatedly expressed his gratitude to the players who united in their determination to never lose to Japan again.
Coach Lee's last words were, "We ask our veteran players not to retire but to take responsibility and prepare so that Korean women's handball can participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and advance to the finals for the 12th time in a row," and added, "With this win, I think the young players will also work harder."

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