Our national team, which became the first non-European country to win the Women's Handball Under-18 World Championships, returned to gold today (13th).
The U-18 women's handball team, led by coach Jin-soon Kim (Incheon Business High School), won the championship by defeating powerhouse Denmark 31-28 in the final of the tournament that ended in Skopje, North Macedonia the day before.
The team, who returned home through Incheon International Airport today, entered the arrival hall with the winning trophy as captain Kim Song-won (Incheon Business High School) and Kim Min-seo (Hwangjijeongsan High School), who was selected as the MVP of the tournament.
The officials of the Korea Handball Association, the players' families and acquaintances, who were waiting for the team, greeted the heroes who returned with strong applause.
In this tournament, Korea played an extraordinary event in climbing to the top by running for eight consecutive victories against a European country called the 'home of handball'.
The International Handball Federation (IHF) evaluated the driving force behind Korea's victory through an article on its Internet website, saying, "Korea was an outsider before the start of the season."
Due to the gust of wind in Korea, European handball fans as well as players from other countries participating in the tournament shouted 'Korea' from the stands and waved the Taegeukgi.
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In an interview after returning home, coach Kim Jin-soon said, "When I left the country, rather than winning, I was thinking of bringing a medal of any color in my hand. I am so happy and proud of it,” he said.
Minseo Kim, the MVP of the tournament, said, "As I continued to beat the strong team, I became more motivated to do better.
(Photo = Captured from the website of the International Handball Federation, Yonhap News)