The Asian Junior Championship is won by men’s handball for the first time in eight years. Seoul = Hans Economy Reporter Shin Hee-jae | The Korean men’s U-20 handball team won the 19th Asian Junior Championship for the first time in eight years.
In the final, which took place on the 27th in Chuzhou, Anhui Province, China, Korea, under the leadership of head coach Park Hyun-jong, pulled off a comeback victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a score of 25-24 (8-13 17-11). Joo Yong-chan of Wonkwang University and Choi Young-woo of Korea National Sport University each scored eight goals to lead the squad to victory.
After winning in 1988, 1992, and 2018, Korea now has four total titles. Additionally, it overcame the disappointment of losing to Japan two years prior and placing second. Tickets to the U-21 (Under 21) World Junior Championship, which will take place in North Macedonia in June and July of next year, have been secured by Korea, the United Arab Emirates, third-place Saudi Arabia, and fourth-place Bahrain.
In this event, which had thirteen teams competing, Korea was assigned to Group B in the group stage. They advanced to the quarterfinals as the top seed (5 wins, 1 draw, 11 points) after defeating Qatar (28-27), Iran (29-28), India (49-19), Kuwait (34-28), and Japan (28-26) in a row. They also drew 30-30 with the UAE. They then defeated Bahrain 32-31 and Taiwan 30-26 before winning the rematch against the United Arab Emirates to take home the championship trophy.
Nikola Vasilyevich’s 7-meter throw (58 minutes 2 seconds) and Mohamed Soliman’s frontal jump shot (59 minutes 43 seconds) tied the score at 24-24, demonstrating the UAE’s incredible perseverance. With 17 seconds left, head coach Park Hyun-jong called the final timeout.
With just three seconds left, ace Joo Yong-chan executed a diagonal jump shot to the right, sealing a spectacular comeback victory for our men, who had just gotten their final tactical instructions. Even though the UAE players’ last attempt was directed at the Korean goal, everyone was able to celebrate when goalie Kwon Oh-joon stopped the final attack from the front.
With this triumph, the South Korean men’s handball team, together with the United Arab Emirates (2nd), Saudi Arabia (3rd), and Bahrain (4th), earned a spot in the U21 World Championship, which will take place in North Macedonia in June 2027.