“The goal of the Asian Games is to win unconditionally, isn’t it ?”Lee Im-kyung (31, Busan Facilities Corporation), the “captain” of the women’s handball team that has qualified for 11 consecutive Olympic Games, has vowed to win at the Hangzhou Asian Games. South Korea won its final match against Japan in the Asian Qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday in Hiroshima, Japan, to claim a 4-0 record and a direct ticket to the tournament, which is reserved for first place .The Korean women’s handball team, which holds the record for the most consecutive Olympic qualifications for both men and women, extended its record to 11.Speaking to reporters at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on Thursday, Lee said, “We expected a really difficult game because it was Japan’s home. We won by one goal. I think it’s really meaningful that we made it to the Olympics 11 times in a row,” she smiled. The players were so focused on preparing for the game that they didn’t realize the record until the day before the match. “I felt a little bit of pressure, but we always play with the idea that we have to win against Japan, and I think it was the same in the end,” said Lee Im-kyung. Korea fell behind 0-5 early in the match, but made a spurt in the middle and end of the first half to close the gap to one point. “At the Asian Championships, we were down 0-7 and 0-8 to Japan before we won, so we didn’t give up at all. We just tried to find our pace quickly,” said Im. South Korea named Swedish coach Henrik Signell as its new head coach in April. It was the first tournament under Signell, and it was a win. “It was a short time, but I think I absorbed (the teachings) quickly,” said Im. I think it helped that we had a lot of meetings and communication.” “He respects the players’ opinions a lot. Our opinions always come first. “One year to go until the Paris Olympics. South Korea’s women’s handball team is a dominant force in Asia, but on the world stage, it has fallen out of the medal hunt .Their last Olympic medal was a bronze in Beijing 2008. They finished 10th in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and eighth in Tokyo in 2021.”We have never fulfilled the ‘myth of the first-born’,” said Im. “I think it’s time for our generation to create something new, something other than the myth,” she said.In a month’s time, the team will try to win the title at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Women’s handball was first included in the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990, and South Korea has won gold at every edition except Guangzhou in 2010 (bronze).Im said, “We will not let our winning streak end in Hangzhou. We will definitely repay our fans for their support,” she said with a twinkle in her 토토사이트 eye.