In contrast to their football peers, the U21 handball players deliver: they are in the semi-finals of the home World Cup. And some players could soon appear in the senior team. The youth work of the German Handball Association (DHB) works.
Weak defense? Crippling Attack? Lack of euphoria? Martin Heuberger does not have such problems. In contrast to their football peers, Germany’s U21 handball players are riding a wave of success with their national coach Martin Heuberger and are on course for the title.
Worn by the home crowd, Sunday (July 2nd, 2023) could see the first World Cup gold in twelve years. “We’ll win the title, I’m convinced of that”, says Bob Hanning, Managing Director of Füchse Berlin and an expert in youth handball. After 2009 (in Egypt) and 2011 (in Greece) it would be the third World Cup triumph for young Germans.
Some players “also in the A-Team in the medium term”
The 31:26 in the quarterfinals against Denmark, the offspring of the current world champion and Olympic silver medalist, was the sixth win in a row. In the round of the last four teams it is now on Saturday in Berlin against Serbia. The second semi-final is played by Hungary and Iceland.
Some of the current players will get one “see also in the A-Team in the medium term”, says Hanning, which once again underlines the current good German youth work. Experts agree that the German Handball Federation (DHB) has not had a vintage as promising as the current one for a long time.
Goalkeeper Späth outstanding
In front of the eyes of national coach Alfred Gislason, goalkeeper David Späth stood out against the Danes with strong saves. Only recently did the 20-year-old from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen join his club Final Four secured the cup for the German Cup. With a saved seven meters seconds before the end, the 1.97 meter man saved his team in the spectacular final against Magdeburg only in extra time and surpassed himself in overtime. After his Bundesliga debut at the age of 18, he was out of action for a long time due to a cruciate ligament tear. Lion playmaker Juri Knorr ennobled Späth behind than that at the moment “biggest goalkeeping talent in Europe. He will go a long way.” For the home World Cup in 2027, you have to use Späth “have on the list”says Heuberger.
Uscins is considered a huge talent
The highly gifted left-hander Renars Uscins is also seen as a great promise for the future. In 2021 he led Germany to European Championship gold in the U19s and was then promoted to All Star Team of the tournament chosen. The backcourt player with Latvian roots is now 21 years old, captain of the U21s and plays for Hannover-Burgdorf in the Bundesliga. He has already played his first senior international matches.
Renars Uscins on goal
“Renars is an important personality of this team”says Heuberger and especially praised the “high game intelligence” his leader. The A internationals in spring would have him “given a boost on his competitive way to the top”. Uscins is even a candidate for the senior team’s home European Championship in January.
light sets family tradition away
Nils Lichtlein is also on Gislason’s list. The backcourt player comes from a handball family. His grandfather Artur Lichtlein and his uncle Carsten Lichtlein played in goal. Carsten is currently the goalkeeping coach for the U21s. His mother Silke Lichtlein played for Regensburg in the 2nd Bundesliga. In the quarterfinals against Denmark, Lichtlein was the top scorer with seven goals.
Nils Lichtlein in the game against Tunisia
The 20-year-old plays for Füchse Berlin in the Bundesliga. The club stands for German youth work like no other. The builder of the training center there is Bob Hanning, who is passionate about working with young people. The foxes also provide the framework for the squad at the World Cup. With Lichtlein, Lasse Ludwig, Max Beneke, Moritz Sauter, Matthes Langhoff and Tim Freihöfer, there are six players.
Competitive toughness and achievements
David Späth, Renars Uscins and Nils Lichtlein have long since arrived in the Handball Bundesliga and in some cases already play a major role there. And that is also what makes German youth work these days. The players have competition toughness, can deal with pressure and are already celebrating successes – like Späth with the victory in the DHB Cup and Lichtlein with the success in the EHF European League with the foxes.
mentality, passion, joy
In addition to high individual quality, the team is very well positioned across the board. Hanning sees the main reason for the current success in the “outstanding mentality and passion” of the German team. Sports director Axel Kromer sees it that way too. The team have “incredible joy in performance”he said in the ZDF morning magazine: “They bring emotions and show that they don’t want to hide from anything, but are just ready to say, ‘Yes, we want to achieve great things here.'”
youth work is much more than just training
And what is the secret of the success of the German juniors? “We are very enthusiastic about ensuring that people come to handball, that children are involved in handball, that families feel comfortable”Kromer said: “We put a lot of focus on values that are also in demand outside of handball. We have an incredible number of committed volunteer coaches in smaller and larger clubs who ensure that the players are permanently employed and develop a love for the sport.”
The senior national team will soon be successful again. One has with Denmark, France and Spain “Two or three teams that are still above us in terms of performance level”according to Kromer: “But we want to shake it up. The European Championship at home in January is a good opportunity for us to achieve more than in the past with the support of the audience and the enthusiasm that we can kindle in Germany every January years.” A World Cup victory for the U21s would certainly help.