By Daniel Leussink
TOKYO (Reuters) – Norway earned the bronze medal in Olympic women’s handball after thrashing Sweden 36-19 at the Tokyo Games on Sunday.
Norway dominated the clash at the Yoyogi National Stadium as their fast attacks overwhelmed the Swedish defence.
Sweden, playing their first Olympic medal match in women’s handball, struggled throughout the game and missed many shots.
Nora Moerk led Norway’s assault on the Swedish goal, netting eight balls to grab the top-scorer spot for women at the Tokyo Games with 52 goals.
An outstanding performance by Norway goalie Silje Solberg, who had a superb 44% saving efficiency rate and even scored a goal, kept Sweden in check.
“It’s my first Olympic medal and it means a lot for me,” Solberg said.
“To finish this way is a good feeling for me and the whole team. We showed that we’re meant to be here in the top three.”
Norway also won bronze in women’s handball at the 2016 Rio Olympics after taking the title at the 2012 and 2008 Games.
“It was a game that Norway controlled all the way,” Sweden coach Tomas Axner said.
“Of course, I’m disappointed in the way we lost today, but overall I’m very satisfied with the championships.”
(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Additional reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
