Olympic Games - Handball line-ups for Paris are set
The German Olympic Sports Federation has confirmed the rosters for the men's and women's handball teams for the Olympic Games. The team, led by head coach Alfred Gislason, will be headed by goalkeeper routine man Andreas Wolff, who has already experienced three Summer Games in 2016 and 2021. For captain Johannes Golla, playmaker Juri Knorr, and circle defender Jannik Kohlbacher, it is each their second Olympic participation. The women are back in the Olympics for the first time since 2008 in Beijing.
"We're coming with strong teams to Paris. No one from our teams is traveling without medal hopes to the Olympic Games," said DHB sports director Axel Kromer. A total of 14 players are nominated for the start of the Olympic tournaments for both men and women. Three active players are ready as reserves.
Three reserve players
For the men, this will currently be goalkeeper Joel Birlehm, left wing Rune Dahmke, and circle defender Justus Fischer. The final confirmation of the squad must take place on July 26. The deadline for women's registrations is already on July 24. As reserve players, goalkeeper Dinah Eckerle, right wing Amelie Berger, and pivot Mia Zschocke are currently planned.
The DHB women will face South Korea, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark, and Norway in the preliminary round. The men will meet Sweden, Japan, Croatia, Spain, and Slovenia.
The men's handball team, representing Germany at the Olympic Games in Paris, hails from North Rhine-Westphalia and is led by head coach Alfred Gislason. Goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, with prior experience in the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021, will be the team's backbone. Johannes Golla, Juri Knorr, and Jannik Kohlbacher, all key players, will participate in their second Olympic Games. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DHB) has announced the rosters, including 14 nominees and three reserve players: Joel Birlehm, Rune Dahmke, and Justus Fischer for the men, and Dinah Eckerle, Amelie Berger, and Mia Zschocke for the women.
The DHB women will compete against South Korea, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark, and Norway in the preliminary round, while the men's team will face Sweden, Japan, Croatia, Spain, and Slovenia. The German handball players, both men and women, share the ambition to return home with medals from Paris.
In the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the German women's handball team last participated. Jannik Kohlbacher, an influential circle defender in the men's team, was part of the German Junior Handball National Team in 2017 and 2019, winning gold at the European Handball Championship with Hennef 05.
