South Korea clinches women's handball gold over Japan at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, South Korea's women's handball team reclaimed the gold medal by edging Japan 27-23 in the tournament's decisive round-robin match, their first championship since 2018. The two squads had arrived at the final encounter unbeaten, each with five victories, making the sixth round-robin game a de facto final. Park Sae-young, the Korean goalkeeper, delivered 12 saves, and veteran Ryu Eun-hee added six goals, highlighting the blend of experience and youthful energy praised by the players.

Captain Kwon Han-na reflected that the triumph erased the sting of the 2023 loss in Hangzhou, while Park described the win as a source of great joy after three years of disappointment. The competition featured seven teams playing each other once, with medals awarded based on overall standings rather than a knockout stage.