SWEDEN
On the starting blocks are the European Championship record holders (four titles) in Serbia to fight for yet another medal. After a long drought and many missed chances such as the 2007 World Championship and the 2008 Olympic Games, the coaching duo of Ola Lindgren & Staffan Olsson have reformed the Swedish national team providing a link to past successes and numerous titles.
On home soil in 2011, the Swedes just missed out on a World Championship medal after losing the semi-final against France and consequently, the bronze medal match against Spain. However, after hosting an Olympic Qualification, the team are not under as much pressure in comparison to other teams in Serbia.
The success of the Swedish national team has many names beginning with star-goalkeeper Johan Sjöstrand from FC Barcelona and right back Kim Andersson from THW Kiel. The team boasts the flourishing Kim Ekdahl du Rietz and playmaker Dalibor Doder.
During the qualification phase, the Swedes only suffered one defeat at the hands of Slovakia. In the high North, followers of handball do not look back on the event in Austria favourably; having lost the match against Germany, Sweden failed to make it through to the Main Round and eventually ranked 15th. The last European title won by Sweden was back in 2002.
GETTING TO SERBIA
Sweden qualified for the 10th edition of the European Handball Championship after a near-perfect performance in Group 4 of the Qualification.
KEY PLAYERS
Jonas Larholm
From his size alone Larholm is the back player and his height aids him both in offence and defence. Known as ‘Larry’ to his friends, he makes his presence felt on the backcourt. First called up to the senior national team at the age of 19, Jonas Larholm has played over 160 matches and scored over 550 goals for Sweden. In 2003, Larholm had a taste of sweet victory as he and his teammates won the gold medal at the IHF Men’s U21 World Championship. So far, Larholm has been associated with IK Sävehof and he spent a few years with FC Barcelona. In 2008, he signed to the Danish club Aalborg Håndbold and he is currently playing in the Jack&Jones Ligaen.
Kim Andersson
The left-hander is celebrating his second comeback. After a long recovery period following injury Kim Andersson is back and stronger than ever and is in this form he is irreplaceable for the national team as well as his club team THW Kiel. He is fast approaching his 200th national team appearance. Andersson is eminently important to his team not only for his ability to score but also due to his experience. He has already been part of four EHF Champions League finals and has won the title twice. In 2008 at the EHF EURO in Norway he was elected to the All-Star Team event though his team ranked fifth.
THE COACH - Ola Lindgren and Staffan Olsson
From their time on the court, they won four European and two World Championships, this in addition to all the other medals and accolades from major international handball events. Both men, in their late forties, played together for over 10 years during the golden generation of the Swedish national team. Back then, the team were known as the ‘Bengan Boys’ in homage to the former national coach Bengt Johansson. Moreover, throughout their glory days, the only medal that was always beyond their grasp was Olympic gold. In this time, both Lindgren and Olsson both notched up over 350 appearances for the national team. Ola Lindgren and Staffan Olsson took on the role of joint-coach of the national team in 2008. After the team failed to reach the 2007 World Championship, Olsson and Lindgren began a reconstruction of the team. Parallel to working with the national team Lindgren was also leading the German team HSG Nordhorn, later he also had a stint with Rhein-Neckar Löwen whilst Olsson led the Swedish club Hammarby straight to the national championship. At the last edition of the World Championship on home soil, the team ranked fourth, once again, with the coaching duo missing the chance for another medal.
SWEDEN IN ACTION
| Date | Time | Game |
|---|---|---|
| 15.01. | 19:30 | SWE vs MKD |
| 17.01. | 20:15 | CZE vs SWE |
| 19.01. | 18:15 | GER vs SWE |
PAST PERFORMANCE EHF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
| 1994 | Portugal | Gold |
| 1996 | Spain | 4th place |
| 1998 | Italy | Gold |
| 2000 | Croatia | Gold |
| 2002 | Sweden | Gold |
| 2004 | Slovenia | 7th place |
| 2008 | Norway | 5th place |
| 2010 | Austria | 15th place |
FURTHER INFORMATION
Swedish Handball Federation Website: www.handboll.info
