The women's ice hockey final at the Youth Olympic Games being held in South Korea was held, and Japan, who had won the gold medal in the previous tournament, lost to Sweden 0-4 and received the silver medal, failing to win the tournament in a row.
The women's ice hockey final of the Gangwon Youth Olympic Games was held on the 31st at the Gangneung Hockey Center. Japan, who won the gold medal in the previous competition and is aiming for a consecutive title, faced Sweden.
Japan, whose team consisted mainly of junior high school students, had a difficult first period as they were attacked by a physically superior opponent, leading by two points.
In the second period, Japan took the initiative with one opponent down due to a penalty, and shots by Nanaho Yamaguchi and Asumi Numabe, both 15 years old, hit the target, but the opponent's goalkeeper We were unable to score due to a good save.
Immediately after the start of the third period, Japan conceded their third goal, but they continued to create many clear chances, and as time ran out, they dropped their goalkeeper and used a strategy to attack with everyone. However, the opponent conceded the decisive fourth goal.
In this match, Japan took nearly twice as many shots as their opponent, but they were unable to score until the end, losing to Sweden 0-4, earning the silver medal and not winning the tournament for the second time in a row.
Captain Himeka Terauchi “Small accumulations lead to points”
Japan's captain Himeka Terauchi, 15, said, ``I won the gold medal in the last tournament and I think people had high expectations for me this time as well, so I feel a lot of regret.I don't think I lost in the number of shots, though.'' , we weren't very strong in pushing towards the final goal, and I think it was those small efforts that led to the difference in points.''
Looking ahead, she said, ``In order to compete on the world stage, you have to become physically strong, so even though Japanese people are not big, I hope to increase my physical strength and speed so that I can win on the world stage next time.'' I want to do my best,” she said.
Nanaho Yamaguchi “I lacked the strength of mind to make the final decision”
Co-captain and 15-year-old Nanaho Yamaguchi said, ``We worked hard to aim for the gold medal, but it's a really disappointing result to end up with a silver medal.We had a lot of shots, but we lacked the strength of mind to make the final decision. I don't think I could have done that," he said, without a smile on his face even after winning the silver medal.
He added, ``Through international tournaments like this, I was able to learn about the strength of the world, and I also learned the importance of friends and that I can't do anything alone.''Even when I returned to Japan, I cherished my friends and continued to work harder. I want to work hard every day to improve my level," he said, pledging his future growth.