With Austria, the DHB team will meet the surprise team of the tournament on Saturday. What makes her particularly dangerous is a good acquaintance of the German national coach.
When Austria celebrates sporting successes in the depths of winter, they are always achieved on skis. When daredevil athletes throw themselves off the jump while ski jumping or race down the slope in alpine skiing, the athletes from the Alpine republic are actually always present in the fight for victory.
The athletes who are causing a storm of enthusiasm in red-white-red these days don’t have skis, but rather a squeaky indoor floor under their feet. At the European Handball Championship in Germany, the Austrians are the surprise team of the tournament. They knocked co-favorites Spain out of the competition in the preliminary round and also beat Hungary on Thursday. Now the team around a good friend of the German national coach Alfred Gíslason could also spoil the home tournament for the DHB team.
Preliminary round exit would have been expected
If it had been according to the expectations of many observers, Austria would not have actually been allowed to move into the main round. Drawn into a group with the tournament favorites from Spain and the equally strong Croatians, an elimination in the preliminary round would have been expected for the team of Slovenian coach Aleš Pajovič.
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But with fighting performances, the Austrians earned a draw against both Croatia and Spain. Since the Spaniards had clearly lost their duel with Croatia, the Austrians were just ahead.
“The surprise team of this European Championship”
“Austria is the surprise team of this European Championship,” said German national coach Alfred Gíslason. “They sent teams like Spain home, who were always mentioned as third or fourth teams among the big title favorites,” continued Gíslason.
But the Austrians’ desire for sensation didn’t end with the preliminary round. They also won the first main round match against the favored Hungarians by one goal after a real thriller. But what makes the Austrians so strong?
Bilyk and Hutecek dominate the backcourt
First and foremost, there are the team’s two superstars: Mykola Bilyk and Lukas Hutecek. The two Bundesliga professionals control the Austrians’ backcourt and have great throwing power.
Bilyk is anything but an unknown for the German national coach. In 2015, the now 27-year-old decided to move to THW Kiel. Coach of Kiel at the time: Alfred Gíslason. He therefore knows exactly the Austrian’s strengths. “I brought Bilyk to Kiel when he was 18,” he remembers. “He is a phenomenal player and a great character. He is the player who leads everyone at Austria. He plays defense well and is outstanding in attack.”
“They are rightly where they are now”
But Lukas Hutecek, who also plays in Germany (TBV Lemgo Lippe), also praises Gíslason: “These are two young people who are both heading towards world class.” There are also other experienced players such as long-time Bundesliga professional Robert Weber.
That’s what Germany goalkeeper David Späth says: “They have a great goalkeeper and, in Robert Weber, one who played in the Bundesliga for a long time. The left winger Frimmel is also a great player who performs on the international stage. It’s a great team, who is rightly where she is now – and of course the two key players are in the backcourt.”
Young players have gained experience
But most of these players have been playing for the national team for a long time. Why the sudden breakthrough in this tournament? Gíslason attributes this to the experience he has gained. “Bilyk was born in 1996 and Hutecek is even younger. But these young people at Austria have gained a little more experience and have become better and better as a result.”