South Korea won the bronze at the Beijing Olympics women's handball on Saturday by defeating Hungary 33-28.
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South Korea wins the bronze at the Beijing Olympics women's handball on Saturday by defeating Hungary 33-28. [Xinhua]
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Among the top four, South Korea was the only one from Asia, breaking the dominance of European squads in the event. It was the silver medalist at the Athens Olympics four years ago.
"The bronze is of more significance than a gold as the average age of our players is 31.7. We are older than any other handball team in the Olympics. In addition our ladies only trained together for 45 days before the Games," South Korean coach Lim Young-chul said after the match.
But Lim was unsatisfied with today's performance, saying the victory was a result of persistence of South Korean women.
The coach burst into tears at the press conference after the success. He told reporters his father who wanted him to lead the handball team in Beijing passed away one week ago. According to South Korean custom, he should have stayed home with his family.
"I have devoted my whole life to handball. I hope the western journalists do not portray the sport as something for Europeans but one enjoyed by the whole world. I also wish more Asians can dedicate themselves to handball," Lim stressed.