Korea women will go for the kill in Olympic hockey

Clubbed with the Netherlands, Great Britain, China, Japan and Belgium in Pool A at the London Games.

Best Result: Won Silver at the 1988 Seoul and 1996 Atlanta Games (They lost to Australia 0-2 and 1-3, respectively, in both occasions).

Last Olympics: Finished ninth

See Points Tables: Men's, Women's

One of the frontline Asian teams, the Korean women's side had reached the Olympic final the very first time they had participated on their home turf in Seoul in 1988. Besides the two silvers, they also finished fourth in the 1992 Olympics. They won a Four nations trophy in Cordoba in Jan beating the likes of Argentina, Great Britain and new Zealand. They finished fourth in the 2011 Champions Trophy, sixth in the 2010 World Cup in Rosario and seventh in the Champions Trophy in Jan.

Road to London:
Winning the silver medal in Guangzhou in 2010 earned the Korean women an Olympic berth at the London Games. China is the other team which made it to the Olympic finals.

Players to watch out for:
Midfielder Kim Da Rae was in splendid form in 2011 while striker Kim Jong Eun played a vital role in their bagging the silver at the Guangzhou Asiad. Park Seon Mi, despite an ankle injury, is a solid upfront player and not to forget the skipper, Lee Seon Ok, one of the pillars of the team's defence.

Plus:
1. Speed and terrific counter-attacking skills.
2. Performance graph has been on the rise after a lean patch.
3. Never-say-die attitude.

Minus:
1. Prone to drawing matches, something which leaves their fate to extra-times and penalty strokes. Less number of wins in regular time could cost the Koreans dearly in a long tournament like the Olympics.

Chances to progress at the London Games: 5/10
A fiercely competitive side, the Korean women's team will do everything possible to make it into the final four. If they can overcome the 'drawing tendency' and can pull off victories over the Asian rivals, China and Japan besides the newcomers Belgium, a semifinal spot would not be a distant dream. Korea will play their first match against China on Jul 29.

Squad:
Seonok Lee (c), Sena Cha, Enubi Cheon, Soo Ji jang (gk), Yu Mi Jeon, Seul Ki Cheon, Jonguen Kim, Jonghee Kim, Okju Kim, Younghui Moon (gk), Mihyun Park, Seon Mi Park, Ki Ju Park, Yu Mi Jeon, Darae Kim, Youngran Kim and Hye Lyoung Han. Reserves: Eunji cho and Yoojin Hong.

Coach:
Lim Heung Sin, an experienced man who had guided Korea to win bronze at the 2009 BDO Junior World cup, returned to coach the women's team. He was also in charge of the team at the 2002 and 2010 WCs besides the 2004 Athens Games. He is confident of his team making the last four.

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