Invincible Iran crowned Asian U17 handball champion
Iran defeated South Korea 28-25 in the final showpiece on Thursday to be crowned the champion at the Asian Men’s U-17 Handball Championship in Amman, Jordan.
The victory rounded off an emphatic run for the Iranian boys, who celebrated an eighth win in as many games at the inaugural edition of the tournament in the Jordanian capital.
The two teams had already secured a spot at the 1st IHF Men’s U-17 Handball World Championship – starting October 24 in Morocco – by progressing to the final.
Arshia Javidi and Amirhossein Nikeqbal scored a joint-high six goals for Iran in Thursday’s showdown at the Princess Sumaya Hall, with Mohammad Keshavarz, Ali Ghayouri, and captain Mahdi Ahmadifar contributing four goals apiece.
South Korean Kang Dongho captain scored a match-high nine goals, while Seong Jiseong added six, though it proved not enough as the traditional Asian handball powerhouse suffered a second defeat against Iran in the tournament, following a 31-25 setback in the preliminary round.
There was further glory for Iranian players in the awarding ceremony as Keshavarz and Nikeqbal were joined by teammate Mahdi Ahmadi in picking up the individual awards.
Iran began its campaign in Amman with a 65-4 hammering of Maldives, and then went on to defeat Syria (44-22) and South Korea to win Group D in the preliminary phase.
The first game in the main round saw Iran beat Kuwait 35-30, followed by a 42-22 rout of the host team, and a commanding 46-25 win against Qatar on Sunday for a top-spot finish in Group 2.
Iran then hammered Bahrain 37-19 in the semifinals on Tuesday.