Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office Oh Hwang-je, the strongest in fast-break handball, “I advance to the playoffs and dream of a season with fans.”
Oh Hwang-je, who plays the left wing position of the South Chungcheong Provincial Office handball team, showed a strong will to play for the team’s success this season. After starting to play handball with a friend in the fourth grade of elementary school, he fell in love with the sport, and that passion continues to this day.
Oh Hwang-je, who creates important scoring opportunities for the team based on strong defense and quick judgment, expressed his determination for the upcoming season, prioritizing team performance rather than individual records.
Emperor Wu said, “Handball is very fun because it is full of speed and excitement,” and conveyed the charm of this sport. He started playing handball with a friend in the fourth grade of elementary school, but from that moment on, he became interested in the sport and quickly developed his skills. He showed outstanding performance in both the left back and left wing positions, and after a shoulder injury, he mainly played on the left wing and created scoring opportunities by utilizing fast breaks. He said, “After the injury, I started focusing on fast-break play, and so far, I am satisfied that my judgment has worked well,” emphasizing his keen sense of the game.
The left wing position is the position where you have to move the fastest on the pitch and aim to score. Oh Hwang-je said that although the nature of the position requires a lot of stamina and is difficult, he finds this role rewarding. “Wing is a position where you play from end to end, so it is difficult, but it is also fun,” he said, adding that he was enjoying the challenges and achievements in handball. In particular, he said that quick feet and instantaneous judgment are important during fast breaks, and showed his will to contribute to the team with his own style of play.
Last season, Oh Hwang-je also contributed greatly to the team by being selected as one of the best 7 players with excellent performance. Although he personally does not have a great desire for the title, he seemed to prioritize team performance this season, saying, “I hope the team performs well.” As a personal goal, he hopes to be named in the top 7 once more, and expressed his ambition to achieve both team success and personal growth.
Regarding the reason for choosing the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office, Emperor Oh simply answered, “The team contacted me and I said yes,” but his choice shows his trust in the teamwork and strong defensive strategy of the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office. South Chungcheong Province is a defense-oriented team that blocks the opponent’s attack and then aims to score through a counterattack. At the center of it all is Oh Emperor, the No. 1 fast-break scorer. It is truly a perfect fit with the South Chungcheong Provincial Office.
He set the team’s goal for this season to advance to the playoffs and said that he has high expectations because there are no injuries and teamwork is good. He also expressed confidence, saying, “If we focus a little and reduce mistakes, we can compete with other teams with enough skill.” He wanted to achieve good results by uniting the team and focusing on each game toward the goal of advancing to the playoffs.
Emperor Wu, who is playing the game in his own way, said, “It is better to play in my own way without looking at rivals or role models.” This reflects his philosophy of utilizing his own strengths rather than being conscious of others and contributing to the team with sensible play appropriate to the situation.
Enlarged photo Oh Hwang-je of South Chungcheong Province playing in Shinhan SOL Pay 23-24 Handball H League, photo courtesy of Korea Handball Federation He was confident that his style of focusing on defense during games and boldly attacking when decisions were needed would be of great help to the team. Following the team philosophy that “defense comes first in handball,” he is continuing his training this season with a focus on further strengthening his defense.
Emperor Wu delivered a message to the fans, emphasizing how fun handball is a sport and urging them to come to the stadium and support it. He said he was very disappointed that handball did not receive attention, and that fans would be able to fall in love with handball if they watched the game in person and supported him, and hoped to communicate with fans, saying, “Please come and encourage us.”
In preparation for this season, Emperor Wu told his teammates, “Let’s have the right mindset to make each game fun and bring many wins.” We are determined to take the lead in achieving good results by overpowering our opponents through stable defense and effective quick attacks.
Let’s pay attention to what achievements Oh Hwang-je and the South Chungcheong Provincial Office handball team, who are full of passion for handball, will achieve this season and their steps as they take on a new challenge with the support of their fans.
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1998. 12. 03.
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