Denmark against wins against France in Handball Final for Men at the Summer Olympics in Rio 28-26

This handball team we have now, have the right age - have the nescessary experience and they are passionate about handball and that won them GOLD at the OL Final.

CONGRATULATIONS - THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT.

The Danish Gaol Keeper, Niklas Landin rose to the occassion with an incredible timing. 

The Danish playmaker and the handball player, Mikkel Hansen, scored the next highest number of goals during the Men's Summer Olympic handball tournament in Rio. A world class player! Tremendous will to win!

France did not get to win their third OL handball final for men in a row.

When our goal keeper started his incredible row of rescues (his timing was incredible) and I saw more than once the surprised look and the non-confident body language of the world class French player, Nikola Karabati?; then I knew that the French self-confidence had been shaken and I thought - Denmark you're winning this game - if you just play in a secure and steady pace!

Only the Danish women have been able to win Gold at three consequtive OL Finals - starting at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.

Well, looking into past great international Danish team feats for Men - the European Championships in Football in Sweden in 1992 stands out and if Denmark wins in handball against France at the Summer Olympics in Rio, 2016 - it is an equal impressive team feat!

Here is the incredible story regarding a Danish sporting success from 1992:

Twenty years ago, Denmark were given just over a week's notice to get a squad toegther and being mentally prepared for the European Championships in Football – held in Sweden.

Less than a month later, the underdogs were champions!

Their last minute inclusion came after Yugoslavia, in a state of civil war, were not allowed to participate in the tournament. Result of the final – held on June 26, 1992 was that Denmark won 2 – 0 over Germany!

Why were they so successful?

"The existence of a very strong bond in the squad" (Kim Vilfort) and Vilfort futher said:

"Ten of the players we had in the squad either played for or had previously played for Brondby - a Danish top League football established in 1964.

A year before the Euros, Brondby had got to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, which was a very big thing for a Danish football club”.

"Quite a few members of the squad had also been played for the Under 21s and the Olympic team, who had qualified for South Korea in 1988”.

"We had fantastic spirit. The team wanted to win and that's a very good thing when you're at the highest level. When we were under pressure against Germany, it was the spirit that helped us”, said Kim Vilfort, who was one of the two goal scorer in the final against Germany!

"We didn't have the best players, but we had the best team."

Summary:

Denmark has a long history with handball, with the sport originating from Denmark.

Handball is one of the most popular pastimes in Denmark, only exceeded by e.g. football. Both the male, and female national teams have reached high international rankings (many young Danes play football outdoor in the summer time and handball indoor in the winter time). Aquatices and Gymnastics are also among the most popular sports.

Denmark women's national handball team have won the Olympics gold medal 3 times (1996 - 2000 and 2004), the European Women's Handball Championship 3 times, and the World Women's Handball Championship 1 time. 

The male national team won the European Men's Handball Championship in 2008 and 2012.

I remember when the Women handball team won gold in Atlanta in 1996 (my family in the US were present at the finals). It was an incredible feat, which the women handball team then repeated in the following two Summer Olympics in 2000 and 2004.

AS A NATION IT IS  "UNLIMITED ENERGY FOR THE SOUL" - WHEN THE NATIONAL TEAM OF A FAVORITE NATIONAL SPORT WINS GOLD AT AN INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENT. THE VICTORY BELONGS TO ALL OF US AND STRENGTHENS A STRONG NATIONAL DEEP-ROOTED TOGETHERNESS AND SENSE OF EMENSE PRIDE, WHICH VALUE FOR SOCIETY IS PRICELESS!

 

What is handball?

Handball is a team - mainly - indoor team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outfield players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team. A standard match consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team that scores more goals wins. Extra time is 2 x 5 minutes. 

Modern handball is played on a court 40 by 20 meters (131 by 66 ft), with a goal in the center of each end. The goals are surrounded by a 6-metre (20 ft) zone where only the defending goalkeeper is allowed; goals must be scored by throwing the ball from outside the zone or while "jumping" into it.

The game is fast and high-scoring: professional teams now typically score between 20 and 35 goals each, though lower scores were not uncommon until a few decades ago. Body contact is permitted by the defenders trying to stop the attackers from approaching the goal.

The game was codified at the end of the 19th century in northern Europe and Germany. The modern set of rules was published in 1917 in Germany, and had several revisions since. The first international games were played under these rules for men in 1925 and for women in 1930. Men's handball was first played at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin as outdoors, and the next time at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as indoors, and has been an Olympic sport since. Women's team handball was added at the 1976 Sunmmer Olympics.

The sport is most popular in continental Europe. The game also enjoys popularity in the Far East, North Africa and parts of South America.

The picture shows the Danish Handball team, which is participating in The Olympic Summer Games in Rio, 2016

The trainer for the Danish handball team is:

Gudmundur Gudmundsson

The 15 Danish handball players at The Olympic Games in Rio, 2016, are:

Gold keepers:

Niklas Landin, THW Kiel

Jannick Green, SC Magdeburg

Wing players:

Lasse Svan Hansen, SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Casper U. Mortensen, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf

Pivot Players:

Henrik Toft Hansen, SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Jesper N?ddesbo, FC Barcelona

René Toft Hansen, THW Kiel

Backcourt players:

Morten Olsen, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf

Mads Mensah Larsen, Rhein-Neckar L?wen

Mikkel Hansen, PSG Paris

Michael Damgaard, SC Magdeburg

Henrik M?llgaard, PSG Paris

Mads Christiansen, SC Magdeburg

Kasper S?ndergaard, Skjern H?ndbold

Reserves:

Hans Lindberg, Füchse Berlin

The Danish Men in Handball are competing in handball at the Olympic Games for the 7th time.

1972 - no. 13

1976 - no. 8

1980 - no. 9

1984 - no. 4

2008 - no. 7

2012 - no. 6

2016 - no. 1 or no. 2

 

The handball player on the picture above is Mikkel Hansen - our excellent playmaker and top scorer 

Mikkel Hansen (born 22 October 1987) is a Danish handball player, currently playing in PSG Handball (a French Handball club)

He was voted as the IHF World Player of the Year in 2011 and 2015 by the International Handball Federation.

Mikkel Hansen is also European Champion with the Danish national team, winning the 2012 title in Serbia. He was also selected into the All-Star team of the tournament as the best left back.

In 2011 he was a part of the Danish team that finished second in the World Championships in Sweden. He was the tournament's overall top goal scorer.

On 1 March 2012 Hansen was given the IHF World Player of the Year award in recognition of his performances throughout 2011 both on club and international level.

I wish them all the luck in the world, when they are up against France in the handball final on Sunday, August 21 at 19:00 (GMT +1)