Iran eyeing world handball U20 berth against Kazakhstan
A place in next year’s World Championships will be up for grabs when Iran takes on Kazakhstan at the Asian Women’s Junior (U20) Handball Championship in Hong Kong today.
Iranian girls marched to a 45-16 victory over the host on Friday to book a spot in the fifth-place matchup against Kazakhstan, which defeated fellow Central Asian opponent Uzbekistan 34-28 earlier in the day.
Iran defeated Uzbekistan (37-36) and India (39-31) and suffered defeats against China (23-29) and the Chinese Taipei (18-28) to finish third to the latter two in Group B of the competition.
South Korea progressed to the semifinals – thanks to a clean sweep of four victories in Group A – followed by Japan.
The top five of the tournament will qualify for 24th IHF Women’s Junior (U20) Handball World Championship, to be held in North Macedonia from June 19-30, 2024.