“It just hurts me”
DHB goalkeeper with a touching gesture for missing colleagues
02/01/2026 – 11:04 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Justus Fischer missed the European Championship final at short notice. Goalkeeper David Späth thought of him with a special action and has nothing but praise.
Against the offensively strong Danes, Justus Fischer should limit the game around world handball player Mathias Gidsel, especially on defense. But nothing came of it: around an hour before the start of the European Championship final, the German Handball Association (DHB) announced that the 22-year-old would not be able to play due to a short-term infection.
A circumstance that still made goalkeeper David Spät “extremely sad” even after the lost final (27:34), “because he played an outstanding tournament,” he said in a media round after the final. Späth also pulled Justus Fischer’s jersey over his own during the medal presentation. Both share a close friendship.
“It just hurts me. He woke up today and he wasn’t feeling well,” said the 23-year-old, recapitulating the morning. “He went into the hall with me and I saw that he was white as a sheet. Nothing worked at all,” Späth did not allow any discussions about a possible deployment to arise.
The goalkeeper was still happy that Fischer was able to show all his talent as part of the national team at the European Championships. “We all know what he can do. He’s one of the best circle runners in the league.” Fischer played an important role for the DHB team throughout the entire tournament. “Especially the last game: blocking 800 balls in ten minutes is crazy,” he recalled of the semi-final win against Croatia. There, Fischer blocked three throw attempts in one attack. The German team would have needed a similar performance in the final – especially when defense specialist Tom Kiesler was shown the red card after just 14 minutes.
“I would have wanted him to finish the tournament from the bottom of my heart and, above all, we would have had one more option with him. Who knows how the game would have ended,” said Späth. But he didn’t want that to be seen as a reason for the defeat, because the Danes were also missing players. “I’m just really sorry for him,” he said, focusing on Fischer’s fate.
