Asian Women’s U16 Handball Championship:
Iranian girls defeat Kyrgyzstan to progress to last four
Iran secured a last-four place at the inaugural Asian Women’s U16 Handball Championship courtesy of an emphatic 44-16 victory over Kyrgyzstan on the final day of the league phase in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Hasti Mirakhorli topped the scoring for the Iranian girls with eight goals, with Fatemeh Shafiei and Tamana Aram adding six apiece, as Iran claimed a second victory in five outings to finish fourth in the table.
Featuring six teams, the tournament is held in a round-robin format, with the top four progressing to the semifinals.
Iran will face China in today’s semifinal in a rematch of the league stage, which the East Asian team won 41-21. Iran got off to a flying start in the competition, defeating Hong Kong 33-29, before suffering successive setbacks against Kazakhstan (38-33), Uzbekistan (48-31), and China.
The other last-four clash will see Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan go head-to-head today.
The tournament also serves as the qualification pathway for the 1st IHF Women’s U16 World Championship, with the two finalists securing a place at the global showpiece, scheduled to take place from October 15 to 24.