Officially, it was the decisive qualifying game for the World Cup in winter, but for Emily Bölk it was more like “training under competitive conditions”.
The ticket for the World Cup in Denmark, Norway and Sweden (from November 30th) could hardly be taken away from the German handball players, and so they used their business trip to Greece to gather further knowledge.
One of them is: The DHB selection has taken a few steps on its way to the top of the world. At least that’s how national coach Markus Gaugisch saw it.
“If you look at what we had a year ago and then see what we can call up as a basis now – then we’ve really made progress,” said Gaugisch after the easy 36:20 victory in Chalkida, with which his team had secured one of 32 World Cup places.
National coach Gaugisch sees potential in the DHB women
At least the big favorite was able to work on their tactical flexibility after the 39:13 in the first leg, the 5:1 coverage should be a real alternative at the World Cup. In Greece, the defensive “wasn’t always optimal”, admitted captain Alina Grijseels, “we saw what we had to work on.” Gaugisch confessed that his team was still “looking for appointments and agreements”.
Gaugisch also sees potential as an individual. He demanded that his players “take seriously the insights in the athletic field that we have gained through the tests and work on them”. Together with the club coaches, he wants to try to “promote the individual quality”. Because higher tasks await on the world stage than against semi-professional Greek women.
Above all, however, was the joy of participating in the World Cup and the chance of an Olympic comeback. In Scandinavia, the tickets for a qualifying tournament for Paris 2024 will be awarded. Most recently, a German women’s national handball team was present at the summer games in Beijing in 2008. “We need the opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games, we want to go to this qualifying tournament,” said Gaugisch.