The senior women’s national team of handball starts preparing, this month, the dispute of the Olympic Games, to be held from July 24th to August 9th, in the city of Tokyo, Japan, announced this week, the president of the Angolan Federation of Handball, José do Amaral Júnior “Maninho”
According to Angop, the official announced when the team arrived in Luanda, after winning the 14th trophy in the African Cup of Nations (CAN), played in Yaoundé, capital of Cameroon.
On the occasion, the official said that the micro-cycle starts in Luanda. On the 10th of July, the team travels to the Japanese city of Tamana, where they perform an internship until the start of the Games.
The preparation in that Japanese region is the result of an agreement signed between the Angolan Olympic Committee (COA) and the Japanese Government, during the projection, in 2019, of the seventh presence of the national “seven” in the biggest world event.
As part of Group A, Angola competes in the preliminary round of the Olympic Games alongside similar ones from Norway and the Netherlands, third and fourth classified in the last competition held in Brazil.
The Angolan team debuted in the referred competition in Atlanta’ 1996, in the United States, and conquered the best classification of all time, seventh place. Then followed appearances in the games of Sydney´2000, Athens´2004, Beijing´2008, London´2012 and Rio de Janeiro´2016.
Recognition
Regarding the African title, Maninho praised the players’ posture and highlighted: “they showed strength and intelligence, as well as competitive spirit, before and during the competition. Therefore, these were the determining factors for winning the championship.”
As for the opponents, he pointed to Tunisia, which Angola won in the semi-finals, by 27-23, after extra time, resulting from a draw to 21 goals in regulation time, as the most difficult team. Unbeaten in the 24th edition of CAN, the team won in the final, 25-15, Cameroon. Before, he toured class before Cape Verde (39-14), Congo (29-24), Democratic Republic of Congo (29-20) and Tunisia (27-23).
The feat, third in a row, allowed Angola to be in possession of the Cup definitively, in accordance with the competition regulations. The Cameroon race qualified, in addition to the champion, Cameroon, second placed, Tunisia (3rd) and Congo (4th), for the World Championship, to be hosted by Spain, in December.
Teresa Almeida “Bá”, Helena de Sousa and Paulina da Silva (goalkeepers), Albertina Kassoma and Liliana Venâncio (pivots), Helena Paulo, Isabel Guialo “Belinha” and Marília Quizelete “Inglesa” (center backcourt), Juliana Machado, Carolina Morais and Natália Kamalandua (right wingers), Vilma da Silva, Natália Bernardo and Dalva Peres (left wing), Wuta Dombaxi and Aznaide Carlos (right back), Stélvia Pascoal and Magda Cazanga (left back) are the players who made up the selection.
The technical team led by Filipe Cruz also included Edgar Neto and José Chuma (assistant technicians), Adolfo Paulo (Scouting technician), António Neto (doctor) and Marina Calister (physiotherapist).
Font: Jornal de Angola