Paralympics in 28 years, I won't end early' Women's goalball team dramatically made it to the quarterfinals

Sep 01, 2024

Courtesy of the Korean Sports Council for the Disabled

It's the first Paralympic performance in 28 years. The Korean women's goalball team showed the power of calling the gateway to the quarterfinals, which was like a needle hole in the spirit of 'I'm going to the end'

The South Korean women's goalball team, led by head coach Jung Eun-sun, passed the group stage of the 2024 Paris Paralympics and succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals. The women's goalball team drew 0-0 against the world's sixth-ranked strong team Canada in the final Group D match at Areafari Sheed in Paris, France, on the afternoon of the 1st (Korean time). As a result, the Korean women's goalball team finished the group stage with one win, one draw and one loss, ranking third in the group and reaching the quarterfinals.

It was a group stage that passed by fighting spirit. South Korea started the group stage with a difficult start, losing 1-3 to Japan in the first match on the 30th. However, he revived his chances of advancing to the quarterfinals by showing his hindsight by beating host France 6-1 in the second group match held on the 1st.

The final group game where fate is at stake. The opponent was Canada, the world's sixth-ranked strong team. South Korea finished with a 0-0 draw after blocking Canada's offensive with a thorough defense. It was the first game in which both teams failed to score a goal in this tournament. That's how hard the defense of both teams was.

Courtesy of the Korean Sports Council for the Disabled

Of course, South Korea did not have a `win-win strategy' from the beginning. South Korea, led by captain Kim Hee-jin (30), deployed Seo Min-ji (23) and Shim Seon-hwa (32) on both sides, driving Canada from the beginning of the game. There were several chances to score, but the accuracy of the direction was poor and it did not lead to a goal. National team coach Jung Eun-sun said, `I had a few chances, but it's a shame because I could have scored at least one point if I attacked in more detail.' Still, it's encouraging that we finished the game without losing a point against Canada. I want to praise the players who didn't lose their concentration until the last stop button rang.

South Korea, which had a draw against Canada, scored four points and finished the group stage tied with Canada. However, he finished third in the group behind Canada in goal difference. At the Paris Paralympics, eight teams will be divided into two groups to play the group stage, and the quarterfinals will be organized according to the ranking.

Korea's opponent in the quarterfinals is second in Group C2. Coach Chung explained, `We will meet with one of China, Turkiye and Israel depending on the results of China and Israel starting at 9:45 p.m. on the 1st.'

There is no time to rejoice over the dramatic advance to the quarterfinals. In order to win the quarterfinals, the main players must quickly recover their physical strength. Seo Min-ji, who was leading South Korea's attack, lost strength at the end of the match against Canada and was unable to roll the ball properly, and ace Shim Sun-hwa missed the ball. Coach Chung said, `The players were not in bad condition before the game, but I was nervous because it was the third group match, and I think the players were greedy because the goal was not scored.' `I think we should take a day off tomorrow and train well to recover and play more calmly in the next game.'

Courtesy of the Korean Sports Council for the Disabled

China (7th in the world), Turkiye (1st in the world), and Israel (5th in the world) are all ranked higher in the world than Korea. But the ball is round and you don't know how to get there. You can even hit the giant box because you throw it with an eye patch. Coach Jung Eun-sun said, `All of them are strong teams with strong attack power. In particular, since they attack by bounding the ball, they will prepare for it by lowering the defense. "If the opponent comes out aggressively, they can make mistakes in attack and clearly show loopholes in defense, so I will stare at the gap." revealed the strategy. The Paralympic stage is the first in 28 years. Attention is focusing on how long the Korean women's goalball team will last.

wman@sportschosun.com