DHB women work hard for World Cup form
In the Baltic seaside resort of Damp, Germany's handball players are slowly getting into the mood for the World Championships, which is to be further fueled by good performances against Sweden.
"All the players are bursting with energy," announced national coach Markus Gaugisch ahead of the duels with the Olympic fourth-placed team on Friday in Ystad and Sunday in Lund. And left winger Antje Döll reported: "You can just see the girls smiling."
Gaugisch is hoping that the double test against the Scandinavians will provide the final insights and a further boost for the World Championship, which the DHB team, unbeaten in seven games, will start on November 30 with a match against Japan. "We will go into the games at full throttle, because victories help us to build up our self-image. We want to extend our streak, but of course we also want to keep an eye on the tournament and try out certain things at the highest level," said Gaugisch on Tuesday.
Goal: Summer Games in Paris
Since Monday, the 49-year-old has been working intensively with his 16-man World Cup squad on fine-tuning for the finals in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. "We have drawn up a playbook of ideas that we want to implement. There's a lot in there," revealed the national coach and noted with satisfaction: "I can sense the players' desire to invest everything they have in order to be successful."
In addition to Japan, Iran and Poland are the DHB team's other opponents in the preliminary round of the World Cup, with the minimum target being the quarter-finals. This would most likely secure a place at one of the three Olympic qualifying tournaments in spring 2024. The Summer Games in Paris are the big dream this season; after all, the last time the DHB women took part in the Olympics was in Beijing in 2008.
But first up is the World Cup, where the German team wants to take the next step in its development. "We have a strong team together and want to be up there with the best in the world. We can finish in the top five," said Döll.
Open account
The international test matches against the co-hosts of the tournament will serve as a good assessment, as Gaugisch considers the three-crown team to be one of the top nations. "As things stand, I see four teams in the world that have the highest quality: Denmark, Norway, France and Sweden. They have the most varied game. If we continue on our path so greedily, I think we'll first have to see how we can get close to Sweden. That's the team we want to catch up with first," the national coach told the German Press Agency.
The last victory against the Scandinavians was nine years ago. There was a 28:22 win at the 2016 European Championship, followed by three defeats. The most painful of these was at the 2019 World Cup in the match for seventh place, which cost the German team their chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
The DHB women therefore still have a score to settle with their rivals. However, the focus in both games will clearly be on optimizing their own processes so that they can travel to the World Cup with a good feeling. "We want to build on our strengths and incorporate a few tactical tricks," said Döll.
The German women's handball national team, aiming to improve their form for the World Cup, will face Sweden in two duels. These matches could provide valuable insights as they prepare for the tournament, where the team intends to field a strong lineup, including the skilled left winger Antje Döll. With a victory against Sweden, the DHB women can extend their winning streak and boost their confidence ahead of the World Cup, where they aim to finish among the top teams, including Sweden.
Source: www.dpa.com
