The Comeback Kids

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They already got one thing in common – an Olympic silver medal won at the 2012 London games.  And they have one thing in mind – finishing one step higher on the podium this time around.  Coming back after a long break from their respective national teams unites them as well.  But their stories could not be more different otherwise. …

Bengan Kids – The Swedish Dilemma

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When you think about Swedish handball who comes to mind?  Sure, Magnus Wislander, the world handball player of the century with Stefan Lövgren and Staffan Olsson trailing closely behind.  Possibly Per Carlen or the “Flying Köttbular” Ljubomir Vranjes? From today’s group of players sporting the yellow jersey and blue shorts only Kim Andersson has come close to that fantastic generation, …

“Les Experts” – The journey continues!

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Rio 2016 is getting closer by the day.  It’s time to make history, again, for “Les Experts”.  If you don’t know them yet, you probably didn’t follow handball at all during the last decade.  The French national team started its own dynasty in 2006, winning the European championship in Switzerland.  A team full of superstars had finally arrived on top …

The Dream Must Live On

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It’s been one week since Germany’s head coach Dagur Sigurdsson has announced his roster for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.  After Germany’s “Bad Boys” had stunned the world of handball, winning the European championship in January without four of its key-players – captain Uwe Gensheimer being one of them – a tight race for making the team had …

Talent Talant

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Many of you might have never had the chance to see him play, because he ended his stellar career nine years ago when social media didn’t rule the world.  Actually, he didn’t finish it the way he would have liked to.  Since then, he became the most successful coach on club level by far; winning the Champions League four times. …

The Future Is Now

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In sports every now and then an era ends.  The same goes for handball, when a legend like Ivano Balic called it a career, last summer.  Dito Iker Romero.  Kim Ekdahl du Rietz, Holger Glandorf and Thomas Mogensen, decided to retire from their respective national teams.  So who will fill the void in the years to come?  Let’s take a …

“I hope rules won’t be changed forever.”

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By Sascha Staat INTERVIEW – German international Christian Dissinger is still just 24 years old, but already has a ton of experience.  He won the world junior championship in 2011 earning MVP honors, moved to Switzerland when he was 19 years old and signed with cash-strapped Atletico Madrid.  Yet, he never played for the club as management announced bankruptcy right …

Stats don’t lie!

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By Sascha Staat Hey Aron Palmarsson, I hope you’re reading.  I remember quite well when you told me, we, the journalists, could do some more stats.  When I asked you what you dislike the most in handball, you said: “That you guys don’t do enough stats!”  True, there’s almost no reliable or really interesting statistic in handball. Because what does …

Wild Card – can you pay me?

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By Sascha Staat It’s been a wild ride for Norway’s male national handball team over the past few months.  In January they made it to the semi-final of the European championship for the first time ever, just to lose to Germany in dramatic fashion.  Kai Häfner scored seconds from the end, during overtime, to make sure the self-declared “Bad Boys” …