Coach: Zhang Bin

 

Key Players: Zhu Haiyun (right back) and Zhou Mengxue (centre back)

 

Qualification for Poland 2018: 2017 AHF Asian Women’s Youth Championship – 3rd

 

History in Tournament: 2006-2012: DNQ, 2014: 22nd, 2016: 20th

 

Overview

 

PR of China confirmed their place at Poland 2018 thanks to their bronze medal gained at the Popki Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia at the seventh edition of the AHF Asian Women’s Youth Championship held in August 2017.

 

Despite losing their opening match against Japan (31:21), China rallied to come back strongly, winning games against Hong Kong (29:9), fourth-placed Kazakhstan (36:24), hosts Indonesia (42:12) and Uzbekistan (36:25. Champions Korea, though, showed their continental superiority, winning 42:18.

 

Zhang Bin took over the team earlier this year, in February 2018. The coach from Shenzhen, Guangdong started his handball career back in 1986 – in 2000, he became a handball coach and has been engaged in the training of youth handball players for many years, serving as assistant coach for to the Chinese senior and youth teams on numerous occasions.

 

Right back Zhu Haiyun is from Liaoning Province and was part of the bronze-winning team in Indonesia, averaging six goals a game. She is joined by back court player Zhou Mengxue as one of the key players in the squad.

 

Mengxue, from Anhui played six times for the Chinese junior team at Hungary 2018, scoring 38 times and is one of the key players for the future of the Chinese women’s team as they look to build handball in the country, with assistance from the IHF and other partners as part of the ‘New Markets’ project.

 

As part of their preliminary group set of matches at Poland, China face Japan in their final match, which could be an eighth-final elimination match, depending on other results in their group which features Norway, Russia, Netherlands and Argentina. If they were to succeed in qualification to the last 16 it would be their best-ever result at this level, following their 20th and 22nd positions previously.

 

Follow the Chinese team on their official website.

 

Group at Poland 2018

Group C: Norway, Russia, Japan, PR of China, Netherlands, Argentina

 

Games at Poland 2018

All times local

 

Tuesday 7 August: NOR-CHN (10:00)

Thursday 9 August: CHN-RUS (16:00)

Friday 10 August: CHN-NED (20:00)

Sunday 12 August: ARG-CHN (20:00)

Monday 13 August: JPN-CHN (18:00)

 

IHF & World Championship social media channels

Follow the Poland 2018 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship on our website, on IHF Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, as well as on the official event website, Facebook and Twitter channels.

 

Photo: Chinese Handball Association