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▼ Japan Write History To Secure First Title At The AHF Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship
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For the first time in history, Japan secured the title at the AHF Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship, with a fantastic display in the closing stages of the competition, including wins against Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals and against reigning champions, the Republic of Korea, in the final.
Thirteen teams lined up at the start of the competition, which took place in Amman, Jordan, with the top five teams in the final standings qualifying for the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, which will take place next summer in Egypt.
The 13 participating teams were divided into four groups in the preliminary round – three of three teams each and one of four teams – with the top two sides in each group progressing to the next phase of the competition, the main round.
Four sides – the preliminary round group winners, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – were boasting a 100% winning record after the first matches, but the main round was well-balanced, with none of the sides making it unscathed into the semi-finals.
In Group I of the main round, reigning champions, the Republic of Korea, conceded a 24:25 loss against Saudi Arabia in the last match, ending up on the second place, while Saudi Arabia finished first, despite a 26:26 draw against the Islamic Republic of Iran in the previous match.
The battle got even fiercer in Group II, where three teams – Kuwait, Japan and Bahrain – finished on the same number of points, four, with each of them conceding a loss in the main round.
However, due to their better goal difference, Kuwait and Japan went through, having a +2 goal difference in the three-way tie with Bahrain, which had a -4 goal difference, due to their 18:24 loss against Japan.
But in the semi-finals, both the second-placed teams in their main round groups clinched wins and progressed to the final, with the Republic of Korea completely dominating Kuwait, with a 36:24 win, as Yuhwan Cho scored 13 goals.
Japan, whose best performance before this competition was a silver medal in 2012, 2016 and 2018, delivered a 30:27 win against Saudi Arabia, as the MVP of the competition, Masato Ohashi, scored 11 goals.
In the final, Japan started stronger and had a 15:9 lead at the break, completely dominating their rivals. Korea came back, and on the back of two 4:1 runs, they cut the gap to only two goals, 19:17, with 17 minutes to go, but Japan pulled away once again, with fantastic displays from backs Sora Furusawa (nine goals) and Ohashi (seven goals), to clinch a 26:24 win.
It was Japan’s maiden title at the AHF Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship and their sixth medal in total, only behind Republic of Korea – eight medals - in the all-time standings of the competition.
In the bronze medal match, Kuwait secured their second medal in history and their first since 2008, by delivering a 30:26 win against Saudi Arabia.
The Placement Match 5/6 was crucial for Bahrain and the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the winner progressing to the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. After a topsy-turvy match, Bahrain eventually took a 45:39 extra-time win, making it to the world handball flagship competition.
Therefore, the Asian sides representing their continent at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship will be Japan, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
All-Star Team - AHF Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship
Goalkeeper: Hong Ui-Seok (Republic of Korea)
Right wing: Salman Al-Showikh (Bahrain)
Right back: Abdullatif Salmin (Kuwait)
Centre back: Ahmed Al-Obaidi (Saudi Arabia)
Left back: Sora Furusawa (Japan)
Left wing: Kaisei Nanjo (Japan)
Line player: Choe Do-Hun (Republic of Korea)
MVP: Masato Ohashi (Japan)
Final rankings
1. Japan
2. Republic of Korea
3. Kuwait
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Bahrain
6. Islamic Republic of Iran, 7. Jordan, 8. Qatar, 9. Chinese Taipei, 10. Iraq, 11. People’s Republic of China, 12. United Arab Emirates, 13. India
Thirteen teams lined up at the start of the competition, which took place in Amman, Jordan, with the top five teams in the final standings qualifying for the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, which will take place next summer in Egypt.
The 13 participating teams were divided into four groups in the preliminary round – three of three teams each and one of four teams – with the top two sides in each group progressing to the next phase of the competition, the main round.
Four sides – the preliminary round group winners, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – were boasting a 100% winning record after the first matches, but the main round was well-balanced, with none of the sides making it unscathed into the semi-finals.
In Group I of the main round, reigning champions, the Republic of Korea, conceded a 24:25 loss against Saudi Arabia in the last match, ending up on the second place, while Saudi Arabia finished first, despite a 26:26 draw against the Islamic Republic of Iran in the previous match.
The battle got even fiercer in Group II, where three teams – Kuwait, Japan and Bahrain – finished on the same number of points, four, with each of them conceding a loss in the main round.
However, due to their better goal difference, Kuwait and Japan went through, having a +2 goal difference in the three-way tie with Bahrain, which had a -4 goal difference, due to their 18:24 loss against Japan.
But in the semi-finals, both the second-placed teams in their main round groups clinched wins and progressed to the final, with the Republic of Korea completely dominating Kuwait, with a 36:24 win, as Yuhwan Cho scored 13 goals.
Japan, whose best performance before this competition was a silver medal in 2012, 2016 and 2018, delivered a 30:27 win against Saudi Arabia, as the MVP of the competition, Masato Ohashi, scored 11 goals.
In the final, Japan started stronger and had a 15:9 lead at the break, completely dominating their rivals. Korea came back, and on the back of two 4:1 runs, they cut the gap to only two goals, 19:17, with 17 minutes to go, but Japan pulled away once again, with fantastic displays from backs Sora Furusawa (nine goals) and Ohashi (seven goals), to clinch a 26:24 win.
It was Japan’s maiden title at the AHF Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship and their sixth medal in total, only behind Republic of Korea – eight medals - in the all-time standings of the competition.
In the bronze medal match, Kuwait secured their second medal in history and their first since 2008, by delivering a 30:26 win against Saudi Arabia.
The Placement Match 5/6 was crucial for Bahrain and the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the winner progressing to the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. After a topsy-turvy match, Bahrain eventually took a 45:39 extra-time win, making it to the world handball flagship competition.
Therefore, the Asian sides representing their continent at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship will be Japan, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
All-Star Team - AHF Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship
Goalkeeper: Hong Ui-Seok (Republic of Korea)
Right wing: Salman Al-Showikh (Bahrain)
Right back: Abdullatif Salmin (Kuwait)
Centre back: Ahmed Al-Obaidi (Saudi Arabia)
Left back: Sora Furusawa (Japan)
Left wing: Kaisei Nanjo (Japan)
Line player: Choe Do-Hun (Republic of Korea)
MVP: Masato Ohashi (Japan)
Final rankings
1. Japan
2. Republic of Korea
3. Kuwait
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Bahrain
6. Islamic Republic of Iran, 7. Jordan, 8. Qatar, 9. Chinese Taipei, 10. Iraq, 11. People’s Republic of China, 12. United Arab Emirates, 13. India
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