For national coach Alfred Gislason and the German handball players, the Olympic qualification in Hanover is all or nothing. Injury concerns made the start of the week of truth difficult. The tournament starts on Thursday.
A slight all-clear for captain Johannes Golla and Jannik Kohlbacher – Hendrik Pekeler from THW Kiel remains an option: The German handball players started preparing for the Olympic qualification in good spirits despite personnel concerns. The ailing runners Golla and Kohlbacher traveled to Hanover on Monday, where Paris tickets will be awarded from Thursday to Sunday.
But 2016 European champion Pekeler is on call
“At the moment I think we will be able to cope with the current squad. We have no plans to make any changes at the moment”said DHB sports director Axel Kromer at a media event on Monday. Kromer also reported on a phone call between national coach Alfred Gislason and Pekeler and reminded them of the possibility of making changes up to an hour before the game. “The way to Hanover is nowhere far,” he said.
Pekeler from Kiel, who was dismissed from the national team in January, had assured Gislason in advance that he would be available in the event of a personnel emergency. Golla (foot injury) and Kohlbacher (shoulder) sustained injuries on the Bundesliga weekend. It is still questionable whether they will be fully operational in the games against Algeria (Thursday, 5:45 p.m.), Croatia (Saturday, 2:30 p.m./ZDF) and Austria (Sunday, 2:10 p.m./live on Erste). So far, the DHB has refrained from making a subsequent nomination.
“You’ll first introduce yourself to the doctor. But it won’t give us any huge worry lines.”said Kromer. We will carefully look at when the two can start full training. Youngster Justus Fischer (broken thumb), the third DHB circuit runner, had already canceled the course due to injury in advance. His teammate from TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, Martin Hanne, and Kai Häfner (TVB Stuttgart) also missed the tournament due to injuries.
Gislason needs an Olympic ticket for contract extension
Only the two best teams from the group of four with the DHB team will buy the Paris ticket in the coming days. “Participation in the Olympic Games is a very, very big goal. It’s a big task”said Kromer. The German team has “not an easy group” and with Croatia and Austria “We have two opponents in front of us that we couldn’t win against at the European Championships in January.” The DHB selection drew against Austria (22:22) and lost against Croatia 24:30.
For Gislason in particular, it will be all or nothing in the coming days. His contract, recently extended until 2027, is only valid if he manages to qualify for Paris.
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Sports current | Mar 11, 2024 | 3:20 p.m