"This will be my fourth Olympics, and I think we may be fielding the weakest team this year," Lim said at the national team's pre-Olympic media day at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul. "But I think it will only make the players train harder. I think it's better for the players to have a few things to work on, and it will help with their mental strength, too." And don't let the Korean players' size fool you, because the country boasts a strong Olympic tradition in women's handball.

After earning silver in 1984, Korea won back-to-back gold medals in 1988 and 1992, and followed it up with silver in 1996. It lost to Norway by a goal to settle for fourth in 2000, but returned to the podium four years later with a silver in Athens.

Korea then got the bronze in 2008 and finished fourth in 2012. Denmark and Norway have split the past five gold medals in women's handball, but Korea has been the most consistent force as the only country to finish in the top four in each of the past eight Olympics.

In Rio, there will be two groups of six countries. Korea has been paired with the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, France and Argentina in Group B. The top four teams from the two groups will reach the quarterfinals.

The players have often compensated for their lack of size with grit, endurance and a flair for the dramatic. Lim said he expects much of the same this time. "Whatever we're lacking, I think we can make up for it with our teamwork and work ethic," he said. "I don't know how things will turn out, but the goal is to win the gold medal."

Lim's team recently completed a month-long training camp in Europe, where it played two matches apiece against Slovenia and Ukraine. Korea also faced top clubs in the continent, so that it could get acclimated to defending a typically physical style of European play.

"I think it was a good experience for our players," Lim said. "We still need to improve our defense, and we're still in the process of polishing up our tactics. We plan to throw a combination of different formations at our opponents." Though Korea has struggled at the past two world championships -- crashing out of the round of 16 in both 2013 and 2015 -- Lim said the results may be deceiving because the team was without its top offensive weapon, Kim On-a. "People who saw us at those two events may say we don't have any flow on offense," the coach said. "But Kim couldn't play in either events because of injuries. She has to be our offensive leader in Rio. If players who missed the past two world championships excel at the Olympics, I think it will surprise our opponents and it will work to our advantage. Kim, 27, is a dynamic scorer but also a hard-luck Olympian.

After winning bronze in 2008, Kim played in only one game in 2012 after suffering a knee injury. She said she was devastated she couldn't play all the matches in London, and she's been undergoing rigorous training to make sure she'll be healthy in Rio.

Ahead of her third Olympics, Kim said she is also feeling the weight of responsibility. "At my first Olympics, I was the youngest player on the team and I just had to do what I was asked to do," she said. "Now that I am one of the veterans, I have to take care of my teammates and think more about the entire offense, rather than just myself."

Kim is nowhere as seasoned as goalkeeper Oh Yong-ran, a 43-year-old entering her fifth Olympics. She has bagged two silver and one bronze over her career, and she is chasing the elusive gold this time.

"As the oldest member of the team, I will try to lead the team to the top," Oh said. "I'd love to win the gold medal. It's the only Olympic medal I am missing." (Yonhap)