The only ball game in the Olympics... Women's handball captain Shin Eun-ju “I want you to support”
Shin Eun-ju (Incheon Metropolitan Government), the captain of the women's handball team, the only ball sport represented by South Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, has spoken out about what she hopes will be her first and last Olympic appearance.
“The Olympics is something I've dreamed of since I was a kid,” Shin said on Thursday via the Korea Handball Federation. It's a stage I've dreamed about since I was a kid, and I've tried a lot, but I've also failed a lot, so I feel less pressure than other competitions,” she said.
“Of course, we're there to perform, but I hope it's a stepping stone for the juniors to grow as athletes,” he added.
The 11-time Olympic champions were drawn in Group A alongside Norway, Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, and Sweden. All of them are European powerhouses, and there are concerns that it will be difficult to get past the qualifiers.
“Even though we didn't perform well at the World Championships last year, our teamwork was really good,” said Shin Eun-ju, adding, “As young players, we quickly forgot about it and grew up faster.”
“In that sense, this European training camp was also the best because we had a lot of inexperienced players, and we were able to gain experience, and it was a big advantage for us to separate what we are good at and what we can do better,” she said.
“Another advantage is that there are a lot of new players who have joined the national team,” said Shin Eun-ju, adding that there is a lot of synergy in the current team, with many players trying to show the best of what they have.
“I think handball in Korea is just getting started. I hope the younger players can see how they will grow in the future,” he said, “and I hope the older players can take a deeper look and support how they finish what they think is their last stage.”
Meanwhile, the women's team, led by Henrique Signel, began preparations for the Paris Games on May 13 at the Jincheon Athletes' Village.
After an initial three-week training camp, 18 athletes traveled to Sweden and Norway for a European training camp from May 2-21.
After a short break, the team moved back into the Jincheon Athletes' Village on Jan. 1 and will continue their second domestic training camp until Feb. 8.
After that, the team will hold a second European training camp in Spain and the Netherlands until the 19th.
After that, the team will travel to Paris, the final destination, for a preliminary camp at the Korea Sports Federation. The team will arrive at the Olympic Village on Aug. 22 and play their first game against Germany on Aug. 25.