Two weeks before the start of the Summer Games, the DHB selection will test against France with top star Nikola Karabatic.
Juri Knorr is really looking forward to what could be his last duel with world star Nikola Karabatic. “For me he is the best handball player of all time and the most successful. He has shaped an era for over two decades,” said the director of the DHB selection, raving about the exceptional talent before the Olympic tough test against European and Olympic champions France on Saturday (5.30 p.m./ARD) in Dortmund.
Before that, the DHB women will be testing against Brazil (3 p.m./ARD live stream) at the same venue for the Summer Games. But the focus is on the men’s clash. Two weeks before the start of the Olympic tournament against Sweden, national coach Alfred Gislason hopes that the match will provide important information about the fitness and form of his young team. “It will be an assessment of where we stand in terms of performance,” said the 64-year-old Icelander.
After the defeats at the 2023 World Cup and the European Championships at home this year, the German handball players want to show that they have taken another step forward in their development on the way to Paris. “Especially against France, we can make our mark and show that we can be reckoned with at the Olympics. It’s about finding the rhythm, gaining self-confidence and getting into the swing of things. And we can gain respect,” said goalkeeper Andreas Wolff.
Knorr plays a central role in successfully directing the German game at the Summer Games. Gislason took the 24-year-old to task: “We expect a lot from him and hope for a stable tournament,” said the national coach.
When it came down to it at the European Championships in January, Knorr failed to live up to his own high expectations. In both the semi-final against Denmark and the match for third place against Sweden, he was unable to deliver his usual performance and was publicly upset with himself afterwards. He definitely doesn’t want that to happen again at the Olympics.
The professional from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen does not use any special mental tricks. “I try to learn from my experiences. That helps me a lot and calms me down. Otherwise, I create moments in which I take myself out of the overstimulated society for a while to be with myself,” Knorr told the German Press Agency.
Karabatic serves as a role model for him – even if the Frenchman plays in a different position on the court than Knorr. “What particularly sets him apart is his mentality, his irrepressible will to always want to win. That is very impressive. Just like his development from a player who was very dominant and decided everything, to a very mature and grown-up person, to a team player and very likeable.d50f84252c99df9979488d5d998b9612.css” fetchpriority=”high”>
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
