India won gold at the 16th Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship in Almaty (Kazakhstan) on February 14 after defeating Thailand 41-18 in their final league match. They also qualified for the Women's Junior World Handball Championship, which will be contested in Slovenia from June 22 to July 3 this year.
In the five-team tournament, India finished with six points. Due to their goal differentials, Iran and Kazakhstan, who both finished with six points, were pushed to second and third place, respectively.
As a result of their second-place performance, Iran will also travel to Slovenia as a result. Uzbekistan (2 points) and Thailand (0 points) came in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
India dominated the proceedings from the start, taking a commanding 20-9 lead at the half, led by Priyanka Thakur. "Once we took an 11-point lead, we were sure of winning the last game," said captain Thakur, who scored nine goals and was named the Championship's best right winger.
After defeating Uzbekistan in a thriller 32-31 in their first league encounter, India fell to Iran 37-42 in their second game. However, they had an outstanding effort against Kazakhstan (29-21) in the penultimate league encounter before defeating Thailand.
Thakur added, "After losing to Iran in the second game, the morale was a bit down as we could have won that match. But the win against Kazakhstan lifted our spirits. We didn’t allow the Thai girls a free hand and attacked from the onset."
"It’s a dream come true for us. A fortnight ago, before the start of the Championship, we weren’t sure of our participation due to some technical issues," She continued.
Jassi, the team's lanky attacker, scored 11 goals. Bhavana and Monika scored eight and seven goals, respectively, while Sanjana (3), Gaurav and Priyanka (1 goal each) also contributed.
Chetna Sharma of India was selected as the best goalie. Bhavana Sharma was named the tournament's Player of the Tournament as well as the best centre back.
Coach Sachin was pleased with the team's overall performance throughout the event. "We played like a cohesive unit and everyone played their part nicely. Girls played an attacking game. Our defence was spot-on, and Chetna was superb under the bar."
"The never-say-die attitude of the girls, even after losing the match against Iran, kept us going. It’s just the beginning of a good time for handball in India. We will keep working on all aspects of the game. We want to make a podium finish at the World Championship," added Sachin, who has twice represented India at the Asian Games.
Prior to this match, India has never won a medal in the Asian Championships in any event. Handball received official recognition in the country in 1972, making this victory the most significant for the Handball Federation of India, occurring exactly 50 years after its foundation.
At the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, the men's team had set a new best with an eighth-place result. The women finished seventh at the Asian Games in South Korea in 2014, 32 years later.
In 2006, India's handball renaissance began when the men's team travelled to Qatar for the first time in 24 years for the Asian Games. At the South Asian Games, both the men's and women's teams from India earned international medals. The men won gold at the 2016 South Asian Games in India, while the ladies won gold in Nepal in 2019.
