Iranian girls seal place in world junior handball meet
Iran secured a place in next year’s IHF Women’s Junior Handball World Championship thanks to a fifth-spot finish in the Asian U20 Championship in Hong Kong.
Iranian girls defeated Kazakhstan 27-24 on Saturday to celebrate a second successive qualification for the world event – hosted by North Macedonia next summer.
Fatemeh Merikhi bagged a game-high eight goals for Iran, followed by Ma’edeh Oshaqi and Nastaran Koudzari-Farahani, who scored seven and five respectively.
Kuandykova Zhanerke and Berenda Yelena topped the scoring for Kazakhstan with six goals apiece.
However, the star of the show was definitely Iranian goalkeeper Elnaz Yarmohammadi, whose heroics inspired her team to a 15-12 lead in the first half.
“We played against a formidable Kazakhstan team with some experienced players. Thank God we came out victorious and I’m so pleased with my performance today. The qualification for the World Championship was truly a result of teamwork and solidarity among all members of the squad,” Yarmohammadi said after picking up her third Match MVP award in the competition.
Iran kicked off its campaign in Hong Kong with a 29-23 defeat against China but bounced back to edge Uzbekistan 37-36.
Iran was then beaten 28-18 by the Chinese Taipei before a 39-31 victory over India saw Fatemeh Mohammadkhani’s side finish third in Group B.
Iranian girls outclassed the host 45-16 for a place in the fifth-place matchup.
South Korea, China, the Chinese Taipei, and Japan had already booked a berth for the World Championship by reaching the semifinals in Hong Kong.