The Turkmenistan’s women handball team has advanced to the semifinals of the 6th Asian Beach Games, taking place in Sanya, Hainan Island, China.
Eight teams are participating in the tournament, divided into two groups. Turkmenistan competed in Group B alongside China, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka.
The team coached by Gulendam Narbaeva and Marina Divanova got off to a strong start, crushing Sri Lanka 12-10 and 8-4 in their first match. They then lost to the hosts, China, 3-16 and 13-22. In the decisive match of the group stage, the Turkmen handball team defeated Mongolia in a close battle. After losing the first set 14-16, they leveled the score in the second, 12-10, and were more accurate in the shootout, 10-4.
Turkmenistan finished second in the group stage and advanced to the semifinals. Their opponent will be Vietnam, who won Group A with three wins, 2-0.
The 6th Asian Beach Games are held under the auspices of the Olympic Council of Asia with the participation of athletes from 45 countries. The competition was scheduled to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current Games feature 62 medal events in 14 sports.
Turkmenistan has been participating in the Asian Beach Games since 2010. During this time, the country’s athletes have won a total of 27 medals. Turkmenistan sent ten athletes to the competition in Sanya, exclusively to participate in the women’s handball tournament.
