Korea shreds Kazakhstan 42-18 for second straight women’s handball win at Asian Games

Korea pounded Kazakhstan 42-18 for its second straight win in women's handball at the Asian Games on Sunday.

Woo Bit-na led the onslaught with 10 goals as Korea enjoyed an easy win at Kasugai City Gymnasium in Kasugai, just northeast of the main host city, Nagoya. Lee Won-jung and Jo Eun-been had five goals apiece.

The win came a day after a 48-16 rout of Hong Kong on Saturday.

The women's handball tournament will not have a knockout phase this year. The top three nations out of seven after round-robin play will be the medalists.

Korea will next play Uzbekistan on Wednesday, China on Friday, Vietnam on Saturday and Japan next Sunday.

Barring upsets along the way, the Korea-Japan showdown will likely determine the gold medal.

Korea held a 4-3 lead early and then blew the game wide open with a 12-1 run, scoring one fast-break goal after another.

Korea led 18-8 at halftime and then outscored Kazakhstan 24-10 in the latter half.

Coached by Lee Kye-chung, Korea is trying to win its first women's handball title since 2018. Lee was also the team's head coach then.

Yonhap