The German handball players with Nils Lichtlein from the Berliner Füchsen missed out on the bronze medal at the home European Championships and the direct ticket to the Olympic Games. National coach Alfred Gislason’s team lost on Sunday against dethroned defending champions Sweden 31:34 (12:18) and has to play a qualifying tournament to take part in the Summer Games in France. In front of 19,750 spectators in Cologne, Renars Uscins was the best German thrower with eight goals.
In the Olympic qualification in March, Germany will face Croatia, Algeria and Austria in a group of four and must finish at least second.
After the defeat against record European champions Sweden, the German team is still waiting for its first medal at a major tournament since winning bronze at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. At the 2019 World Cup, the DHB team also lost the game for third place.
Meanwhile, France won the final. The team around superstar Nikola Karabatic defeated world champions Denmark in the final after extra time with 33:31 (27:27, 14:14) and ascended Europe’s handball throne for the fourth time.
The French had already won European Championship gold in 2006, 2010 and 2014. The best French thrower in front of 19,750 spectators in the sold-out Lanxess Arena was Ludovic Fabregas with eight hits. For backcourt player Karabatic, it was the crowning achievement in the final year of his career: the 39-year-old was on the floor for all four European Championship triumphs.
Mikkel Hansen (nine goals) scored most often for the Danes. The Northern Europeans, who beat the German team 29:26 in the semi-finals and played their first European Championship final in ten years, missed their third title win after 2008 and 2012.
Broadcast: rbb24, January 28, 2024, 6 p.m