Korea's handball teams continue their quest for gold in Asian Games

Korea took two opposing results in Hangzhou Asian Games handball Wednesday, with the men’s team suffering a 31-27 loss to Qatar and the women’s team grabbing a decisive 45-14 victory over Thailand.

Korean women's handball team starts Asian Games with convincing 42-16 win

The men’s game started first at Zhejiang Normal University Xiaoshan Gymnasium in Jinhua, China. It was Korea’s second game in Group B after their win against Hong Kong on Monday.

Korea failed to dominate in the first half, with Qatar grabbing a lead at 2-1 and taking it to 10-6. Korea scored a series of goals, but failed to capitalize, ending the half down 16-12.

Korea’s efforts in the second half also fell short, ultimately losing the game 31-21.

With the result, Qatar advanced to the main round as Group B winners with Korea reaching the stage as runners-up.

A total of 13 teams compete in Hangzhou Asian Games men’s handball. Group A, B and C include three teams apiece, while Group D has four teams.

The top two teams from the four groups reach the main round, where the teams are divided into two groups and compete each other to advance to the semifinals.

Korea’s opponent in the main round has yet to be decided as of press time Wednesday.

The women’s team, on the other hand, secured a convincing 45-14 win against Thailand at the same venue. They were dominant throughout the game, winning the first half 21-9 and second half 24-5.

That was the Korean women’s team’s second consecutive win in Group A, after a win against Uzbekistan on Monday.

They will face Kazakhstan in their last group stage game on Saturday.

The men’s team is aiming for their first gold medal since the 2010 tournament, while the women’s team is looking to win their third consecutive Asiad gold.

The men’s team has secured eight Asiad gold medals and the women’s team has claimed the title seven times in total.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]