Shortly before the start of the World Cup
Shock for Gíslason: Two Olympic heroes are out
January 2, 2025 – 11:12 a.mReading time: 1 min.
Shortly before the start of the Handball World Cup there is bad news for the German team. Two prominent players have to be replaced.
Germany’s handball players have to do without two Olympic heroes at the World Cup. Backcourt player Sebastian Heymann and pivot Jannik Kohlbacher (both Rhein-Neckar Löwen) are injured for the finals from January 14th to February 2nd in Denmark, Croatia and Norway.
Heymann canceled his participation in the World Cup due to a severe bruised foot. The backcourt player suffered this in the Bundesliga duel against Flensburg (31:29) in mid-December. Teammate Kohlbacher has to miss the game and even undergo surgery due to an elbow injury. The reason: free joint bodies.
For the duo from Bundesliga club Rhein-Neckar Löwen, national coach Alfred Gíslason nominated Tim Zechel from German champions SC Magdeburg for the district and Lukas Stutzke (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf) for the backcourt.
National team manager Benjamin Chatton said: “The short-term changes to the squad also kept us busy over the holidays, but we also exchanged many details in a targeted manner. I sense a growing anticipation among everyone for the reunion and the World Cup.”
On Friday, Gíslason will gather his 19-man World Cup squad in Hamburg to prepare for the tournament. The program also includes two international test matches against Brazil on January 9th and 11th. At the World Cup, the DHB selection will face Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic in the preliminary round.