S. Korea wins gold in women's handball, ending 8-year drought

South Korea won the women’s handball gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan, beating host Japan 27-23 in the final round-robin match in Inazawa. The victory ended an eight-year drought and gave South Korea its first Asian Games title since 2018. South Korea finished with six wins in six matches, while Japan took silver with five wins and one loss.

The women’s handball competition had no knockout stage, and medals were decided by round-robin standings among seven teams.

South Korea and Japan entered the final match as the only undefeated teams, each with five wins.

South Korea’s comeback included nine unanswered goals after a timeout by head coach Lee Kye-chung helped the team regain rhythm.

Kwon Han-na scored seven goals, Ryu Eun-hee added six, Kim Min-seo contributed four, and goalkeeper Park Sae-young made 12 saves.

Published Sep 27, 2026 7:58 pm KST

Updated Sep 27, 2026 10:29 pm KST

Members of South Korea's women's handball team pose after winning the women's handball tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

South Korea won the women's handball gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, ending an eight-year drought with a victory over host Japan.

South Korea beat Japan 27-23 in the sixth and final round of the women's handball competition at Entrio in Inazawa, just northwest of Nagoya, Japan.

With the win, South Korea finished first with six wins from six matches, edging out Japan, which had five wins and one loss.

The women's handball competition in Japan did not feature a knockout stage. Instead, all seven teams played each other once, with medals awarded based on their final round-robin standings.

Sunday's gold marked South Korea's first Asian Games title in eight years, after the country won the event in 2014 and 2018 before finishing without gold in 2023.

South Korea's Kim Bo-eun attempts a shot during the women's handball match between South Korea and Japan at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Entrio in Inazawa, Japan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

It is also the country's eighth Asian Games title overall since women's handball was added to the quadrennial continental multisport competition in 1990.

Before Sunday's match, South Korea and Japan were the only undefeated teams, with five wins apiece.

The final South Korea-Japan matchup was a rematch of the event's final at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, when South Korea lost to Japan 29-19.

After a narrow 3-3 start, South Korea scored four straight goals to take a 7-4 lead in the first 10 minutes but struggled against Japan's tight defense, allowing the host to level the game at 7-7.

After a timely timeout by head coach Lee Kye-chung, South Korean players found their rhythm and rallied to score nine goals to take a 16-12 lead into halftime.

Japan cut the deficit to 24-22 midway through the second half while Han Mi-seul was serving a two-minute suspension.

However, Park Sae-young's saves kept Japan from narrowing the gap further, while South Korea's solid offense helped the team open up a 26-22 lead with two minutes remaining.

Kwon Han-na scored seven goals, and Ryu Eun-hee added six to spearhead the victory, while Kim Min-seo contributed four.

Goalkeeper Park Sae-young made 12 saves.

韩国队在日本爱知-名古屋亚运会女子手球比赛中夺得金牌，在稻泽举行的循环赛最后一场比赛中以27比23击败东道主日本队。这场胜利终结了韩国队长达八年的冠军荒，也是自2018年以来韩国队首次获得亚运会冠军。韩国队最终以六战全胜的战绩夺冠，而日本队则以五胜一负的成绩获得银牌。

女子手球比赛没有淘汰赛阶段，奖牌由七支队伍通过循环赛排名决定。

韩国和日本是仅有的两支保持不败的球队，各自取得了五场胜利。

韩国队在主教练李桂钟叫了暂停后，连进九球，帮助球队重新找回节奏，最终逆转取胜。

权汉娜攻入7球，柳恩熙攻入6球，金敏瑞攻入4球，门将朴世英做出12次扑救。

发布于2026年9月27日晚上7:58（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月27日晚上10:29（韩国标准时间）

韩国女子手球队队员周日在日本爱知-名古屋亚运会女子手球比赛中夺冠后合影留念。（韩国时报 崔元硕 摄）

韩国在爱知-名古屋亚运会女子手球比赛中夺得金牌，结束了长达八年的冠军荒，战胜了东道主日本队。

在日本名古屋西北部的稻泽市 Entrio 举行的女子手球比赛第六轮也是最后一轮比赛中，韩国队以 27-23 战胜日本队。

凭借这场胜利，韩国队以六战全胜的战绩位列第一，力压五胜一负的日本队。

日本女子手球比赛没有淘汰赛阶段。七支队伍全部进行单循环赛，根据最终的循环赛排名颁发奖牌。

周日的金牌标志着韩国时隔八年再次获得亚运会冠军。此前，韩国曾在 2014 年和 2018 年赢得亚运会冠军，但在 2023 年未能再次夺金。

周日，在日本稻泽市Entrio体育馆举行的爱知-名古屋亚运会韩国对阵日本的女子手球比赛中，韩国选手金宝恩尝试射门。韩国时报崔元硕摄。

这也是自 1990 年女子手球被列入四年一度的洲际综合运动会比赛项目以来，该国获得的第八个亚运会冠军头衔。

在周日的比赛之前，韩国和日本是仅有的两支保持不败的球队，各自取得了五场胜利。

韩国与日本的最后一场比赛是2023年杭州亚运会决赛的重演，当时韩国以19比29输给了日本。

比赛开始后双方战成 3-3 平，韩国队在前 10 分钟内连进四球，以 7-4 领先，但面对日本队的严密防守，韩国队难以招架，最终被东道主日本队扳平比分，7-7 战平。

在主教练李桂钟及时叫了暂停之后，韩国球员找回了节奏，连进九球，以16比12领先进入中场休息。

下半场进行到一半时，日本队将比分追至 24-22，而韩美瑟当时正处于两分钟的禁赛期。

然而，朴世荣的扑救阻止了日本队进一步缩小分差，而韩国队稳固的进攻帮助球队在比赛还剩两分钟时以 26-22 领先。

权汉娜攻入七球，柳恩熙攻入六球，带领球队取得胜利，金敏瑞也贡献了四球。

门将朴世荣做出12次扑救。