India win first U18 Asian Boys' Volleyball Championships medal in 14 years

India, on Monday, bagged the bronze medal at the U18 Asian Boys' Volleyball Championships in Tehran, Iran. The Indian boys defeated South Korea 3-2 in a hard fought bronze medal match to finish on the podium.

India started the match in a dominating fashion, pocketing the first two sets 25-20 and 25-21 respectively. Just when it looked like the Indian colts will steam roll their opponents just like they did during their league stage encounter, the South Koreans struck back.

In what was probably the most thrilling phase of play, South Korea stole the third set 28-26 before forcing the match into a decider by winning the next set relatively easily at 25-19.

With a historic podium finish on the line, the Indians managed to get their act together to win the final set 15-12 and deny the spirited South Koreans a dream comeback.

This win in Tehran is India's first podium finish at the U18 Asian Boys' Volleyball Championships in 14 years. They last won a medal in the age-group continental event when they defeated China 3-2 in the bronze medal match in 2008.

This is also India's fifth medal at the U18 Asian Boys' Volleyball Championships. They were crowned the champions when they hosted the event at Vishakhapatnam in 2003, before winning a silver in 2007 and pocketing bronze medals in 2005 and 2008.

This dream run in Tehran has also helped India qualify for the upcoming 2023 U19 Volleyball World Championships next year.