- Silver coup as a bribe: Handball players have "much more in them"
Alfred Gislason had no desire for an extravagant silver party. The handball national coach spent the last Olympic evening alone in the old town of Lille. "Closing ceremonies and such are not for me. Just go home," the Icelandic said before flying back home.
As the 64-year-old boarded the plane, his players' heads must have been pounding. Unlike their coach, the German handball players partied hard after their sensational second place at the Olympic Games. Only at the closing ceremony, later with some cold drinks at the German House.
At the medal walk after midnight, the frustration over the Danish thrashing was long forgotten. "Screw it," veteran Kai Häfner shouted into the microphone on stage and kicked off a wild party. Teammate Rune Dahmke ordered the first beers in the background. Saxophonist Andre Schnura got the players going, then it was off to the bar.
Closer to the world's peak
After surprisingly successful Olympic days, the German Handball Federation looks optimistically to the coming years. That the youngest and least experienced of all Olympic teams is returning home with a silver medal lets the federation dream of a title-rich future. The home World Cup in 2027 could be a fairy tale.
The players know this too. "There's still so much more in it," left winger Dahmke, who at 31 was one of the oldest in the German Olympic squad, assured. "If we all continue to develop together as we have in the last six months, then there's still a lot of potential and maybe a few more medals will come too."
Even if the disastrous final performance against Olympic champion Denmark left a different impression: the German handball players have taken a step forward and have further closed the gap to the world's peak with victories over Sweden, European champion France, and bogey team Spain. "The team is now clearly further along. It's much more stable," praised Gislason and spoke of a "very good development" since the home European Championship in January.
Gislason as architect and development aid
When the handball teams start playing for the World Cup title in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway from January 14th, the competition will look at the carefree German team with different eyes. "If you look at the team, it can only get better. We're inexperienced, fresh-faced. For most of us, it was the first Olympic participation. I see us in a very beautiful position where we can decide for ourselves what we want to do in the future," said young star Renars Uscins.
Hardly any other player embodies Gislason's philosophy as much as Uscins. As many regulars of the national team retired in recent years, the coach was called upon as an architect and development aid and put his trust fully in young talents. Newcomers like U21 World Champions Uscins (22) and goalkeeper David Späth (22) suddenly had no more protection and had to take responsibility instead.
With success. Above all, Uscins became a leading player at the Olympics. The six-second wonder of Lille, in which the backcourt ace saved the German team from elimination with the final buzzer, will forever be associated with his name. "We have a team that has a future. That is promising and will not be the last time in a final," goalkeeper Andreas Wolff announced.
The German Handball Federation is enthusiastic about the silver medal and the promising future it signifies, hoping to claim the title in the 2027 World Cup.
Alfred Gislason, the national coach, is proud of the team's development, praising a "very good" progress since the home European Championship in January.
