Women's handball, born in 2004 during the 'Woo Saeng Soon' era, shouts 'Woo Saeng Soon' again




Henrik Signel (Sweden) Korea women's national handball team coach and players are taking a commemorative photo at the media day event for the start of team training held at the Jincheon National Team Training Center in Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do on the 20th. The women's handball team was the only team ball sport in Korea to successfully advance to the finals of this year's Paris Olympics.

The Korean women's handball team participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics will once again challenge 'Woo Saeng-soon (the best moment of our lives)' with young blood at the forefront. A player born in 2004, who was the background of Wu Saeng-soon, is now a member of the national team and shouts out a new ‘Wu Saeng-soon’.

Korea achieved the great feat of advancing to the finals for the 11th consecutive time by winning a direct ticket to the Paris Olympics Asian qualifiers held in Japan in August last year by placing first. Among the Korean athletes participating in the Paris Olympics, women's handball is the only ball sport. As other ball sports such as soccer, volleyball, and basketball failed to advance to the finals, expectations for women's handball have grown.

Until the early 2000s, Korean women's handball was the best in the world. Korea, which won gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Games and the 1992 Barcelona Games, showed fighting spirit and won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games, and this process became such a hot topic that a movie called 'Woo Saeng-soon' was made.

But the glory days did not last forever. Northern Europe has emerged as a new powerhouse by increasing investment, and Korea has not been able to stand on the podium since winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.

In addition to the sense of mission that Korea's women's handball is the only ball sport in Korea, they are united to create a golden age for handball again, and at the center of this is Hyewon Lee (20, Busan Facilities Corporation), born in 2004.

A player who was born when Korean women's handball received the most attention is now a member of the national team and is determined to recreate that glory.

Hyewon Lee, who has been in good spirits recently, including being selected as one of the best 7 at the 2023 World Women's Youth Championship, said, “First of all, the country of France (where the Olympics are held) itself is very attractive,” and expressed her feelings as an ‘MZ generation’, adding, “I have the opportunity to represent the country.” It's an honor just to be given it. I will work hard to be of help to the team. “I hope I can show off no matter how many minutes I run,” she said, expressing her fierce determination. In addition to Lee Hye-won, the national team has been transformed into a young and fast team with the addition of Jeon Ji-yeon (21, Samcheok City Hall), Woo Bit-na, Jo Eun-bin (23, Seoul City Hall), and Lee Min-ji (24, SK). Among the 21 entries included in this training camp, only 4 had experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and even these 4 were not key players at the time. Except for Ryu Eun-hee (34, Gyori), who will join from Europe, this is most people's first attempt at the Olympics.

Captain Shin Eun-ju (31, Incheon Metropolitan City Hall), who is also in the Olympics for the first time, said, “This national team has undergone a generational change, focusing on young players,” and added, “The Paris Olympics will be an important stepping stone for Korean women’s handball to take a leap forward. “I will risk everything I have and fight without regrets,” he said.

A handball official said, “We may have less experience than before, but our spirit and physicality have improved. He hinted at the current situation of the national team, saying, “There is nothing to lose, so let’s face it with confidence.” In addition, although 20 years have passed, the spirit of the seniors who achieved ‘Woo Saeng-soon’ is still reflected in the mindset of this team. Shin Eun-ju said, “I also developed a dream while watching Woo Saeng-sun. “I will follow in the footsteps of my seniors by playing a lot and not breaking down,” he said. Coach Henrik Signel also said, “I am talking with the players while looking at the experiences of successful seniors. “It is important to continue that well,” he emphasized.


한국야동; https://www.19guide03.com