By Sascha Staat

Hanna Blomstrand is no household name in the world of handball, but she is well on a her way to create a name for herself if she continues playing as she did against arch-rival Denmark in the quarter-final of the 2017 World Cup.  She scored seven times en route to a comeback-win that secured a place in the semi-finals of the competition, for the first time in the history of the Swedish team. I talked to the 22-year old right after the match.

Hanna, congratulations on reaching the semi-finals, a historic achievement for your country, I guess you are as happy as you possibly can?

HB: Already, the last game was historical, but – yes, I’m just happy.  The team is very happy that we could do this together for the first time in Swedish history. It’s amazing.  Words can’t describe what I’m feeling, right now.

Actually, you had tears in your eyes when you were named “Player of the Match” – well deserved I have to say…

HB:  Yes, I did… I’m very, very happy, but also very tired. It’s been a long and a hard match. I’m just so happy that we could win after such a tough battle. It took all my energy, I have to admit. So, you saw tears of joy but also tears because I am exhausted.

You have no energy left for more dances?

HB: Haha, I guess there will be some more dancing if I get the chance. Luckily, there are two more days to get some energy for the upcoming game, a match I’m really looking forward to!

Did you dream about a moment like this? I mean, it’s something you might think about when you are a teenager or even a young kid just playing handball.

HB: Yes, but not just me, we as a team have been dreaming about it the whole year. We just wanted to play a better tournament than last year and also a much better competition than two years ago.  Yes, it’s a dream – we wanted to go to Hamburg and now we will be there!