Kumamoto Chronicles: A new bear in town By Chris O’Reilly My colleague Peter Bruun paid tribute to former Russia coach Evgeny Trefilov on Wednesday with “You big, roaring bear, I am gonna miss you!” But as we arrived in Kumamoto today, we discovered a new handball bear is here to assume the mantle. Step aside, Evgeny, the beloved local mascot …
Japan 2019 – Group D Preview
Japan 2019 – Group D Preview The whirl around the four preliminary round groups comes to an end with Group D, home of the host nation Japan. This collection of teams is notable for its two clear favourites, while the other four have a glorious opportunity to jump into the main round. By Chris O’Reilly Top dogs It is …
You big, roaring bear, I am gonna miss you!
OPINION – He is a coach, who almost everybody has something to say about. Evgeny Trefilov, head coach of Russia’s women’s handball team, announced his retirement from active duty not too long ago. It marks the end of a coaching career that has been successful, colorful and controversial at times. The roaring, Russian bear deserves a farewell. By Peter Bruun First …
Japan 2019 – Group C Preview
By Chris O’Reilly Japan 2019 – Group C Preview Our build-up to the Women’s IHF World Championship 2019 gains momentum as we move on to Group C, featuring rejuvenation, youth, doping drama and debutants from Africa. Tight at the top Watch out Group C, Montenegro are coming to get you! They showed signs of what they were capable of at …
Japan 2019 – Group B Preview
By Chris O’Reilly Japan 2019 – Group B Preview As we inch ever closer to the beginning of the Women’s IHF World Championship 2019, we continue our look at each of the preliminary round pools with Group B. Reigning champions France are deserved favourites to take maximum points into the main round, but this appears to be the “group of …
Japan 2019 – Group A Preview
By Chris O’Reilly Japan 2019 – Group A Preview With the Women’s IHF World Championship just days away, we continue our countdown to the event with a look at each of the four groups individually. Each group’s contenders will be placed into different categories, depending on their predicted chances and in Group A, it’s clear to see that two teams …
“Anything less than gold would be a disappointment somehow”
By Chris O’Reilly As the reigning world and European champions, France come into next week’s Women’s IHF World Championship as one of the genuine favourites to go all the way in Japan. In a team full of incredible athleticism and talent, Estelle Nze Minko stood out as one of the very best players in France’s run to the EHF EURO …
“I am still getting used to playing with Cindric”
INTERVIEW – A decent rivalry could have been on the horizon, when Luka Cindric joined Barca from Kielce before this season. In this exclusive interview with stregspiller.com, Aron Palmarsson denies all of it, but he admits that he still needs some time to get used to playing with the Croatian star. By Peter Bruun It was one of the biggest …
“Defending the title is a huge motivation”
By Kevin Domas At the moment, France are at the very top of women’s handball. Just a couple of years ago, the likes of Norway, Netherlands and Russia were among the first ones that came to mind when asked to name the favorites before the commencement of an international competition. Times have changed and it’s different now. After winning the …
“The FINAL4 is a constant dream for me as it is for our entire team”
INTERVIEW – Being back “home” in Buducnost after three years with CSM Bucuresti, Majda Mehmedovic looks back at a Champions League group phase with mixed success and previews the prospects of Montenegro at the IHF World Cup in Japan, where she has high expectations for the national team. By Peter Bruun Majda Mehmedovic and her Buducnost teammates finished the group …