South Korean women’s national handball pivot Kim Bo-eun (Samcheok City Hall) has set her sights on earning a point and reaching the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics, which begin later this month.

“I remember when we beat Japan at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics,” Kim said through the Korea Handball Association on Friday, adding, “I’m aiming to get a point and reach the quarterfinals through a win this time as well.”

In Tokyo 2021, where Kim made her Olympic debut, South Korea won one game, drew one and lost three in the group stage to reach the quarterfinals.

In Tokyo, South Korea was drawn with Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Montenegro, and Angola, with Japan and Angola being the only two challengers.

This time around, however, Korea has a much tougher schedule, being drawn with European powerhouses Germany, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Kim Bo-eun’s primary goal is to get three points, as there is a gloomy outlook around her that suggests that even one point will be difficult.

In fact, even Slovenia, the closest opponent in terms of strength of schedule, lost 27-31 to South Korea at the World Championship last December.

“In Tokyo, I was very nervous because it was my first Olympics,” said Kim Bo-eun, who is responsible for pivoting the team alongside Kang Eun-hye (SK) and Song Hae-ri (Busan Facilities Corporation). “This is my second appearance, so I’m determined to achieve my goal based on my past experience.”

In particular, Korea will play the first and second games against Germany on the 25th and Slovenia on the 28th, and the results of these two games are expected to be a watershed moment for the team to advance to the quarterfinals.

According to Kim, the team needs to win the first and second games to improve its chances of reaching the quarterfinals, which is the second goal.

“The gap between us has widened recently as European players have improved their skills,” said Kim, who has been playing for the national team since 2018. “What we lack in physical condition and power, we will make up for with speed, and we will not be outclassed in the physical battle.”

Kim Bo-eun, who led her club Samcheok City Hall to the championship in the 2023-2024 H-League season, scored 105 goals, the most among the pivots.

“I expect it will be a difficult tournament, but I will try to make Korean handball a little better as I have been preparing for a long time,” said Kim, who left the country on Aug. 8 and is currently training in Europe. “I will play hard to become the team you want to support,” she promised. 온라인카지노사이트