Women's Handball National Team Departs for European Training in Preparation for Paris Olympics
Signal Director: "As many wins as possible... Expected player is Woobitna"
The women's national handball team, the only team sport for the Korean team to compete in the Paris Olympics opening at the end of this month, departed for Europe on the 8th for training.
The Korean women's handball team, led by coach Henrik Signel (Sweden), will conduct its second round of European training in Spain and the Netherlands until the 19th, and then head straight to Paris, France, where the Olympics will be held. https://bit.ly/outlookindiasports
Our national team was assigned to Group A in the Paris Olympics with Germany, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
All of these are powerhouses in Europe, so it is expected that even one win will not be easy. Our primary goal is to advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive time after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
To advance to the quarterfinals, we need to finish 4th or higher in the group, so we need at least 1 win and 1 draw, or 2 wins.
In an interview before his departure, Coach Signel said, "We've been training hard at the Jincheon Athletes' Village, and as the Olympics approach, our expectations are growing," and added, "We'll prepare for the opening of the Olympics by playing three or four more practice matches in Europe."
He predicted that Group A would be "Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Slovenia," and analyzed, "We lost to Slovenia by four goals at the World Championships last year, but our performance has improved since then."
He added, "Since all our opponents are strong teams, it won't be easy to win even if we play well," and pledged, "The young players have a strong will to learn and are not afraid of making mistakes, so we will do our best in every match."
When asked about the player he is looking forward to, Coach Signel pointed to Woo Bit-na (Seoul City Hall), saying, “She did well at the World Championships last year, and she will play an important role in this Olympics.”
When asked about her Olympic goals, she said, “This may be a boring answer, but rather than talking about specific results, I want to work hard in every game, achieve positive results, and be congratulated after the Olympics with satisfaction.”
Coach Signel calmly analyzed, “Of course, I am aiming for a medal, but in reality, a medal is more of a dream,” and pledged, “I will prepare hard to achieve many victories.” https://paste.toolforge.org/view/0e0463e2
The Korean women's handball team won gold medals at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and their most recent medal was a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The last time they reached the semifinals was in London in 2012, and they were eliminated in the group stage at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, but they advanced to the quarterfinals at Tokyo in 2021.