Denmark women’s senior national team returned to the Olympic Games for the first time since London 2012 and after only four matches in the preliminary round, they secured a quarter-finals ticket, as well as one of the top three places in Group A.

With three wins, they have already improved since the last edition of the competition, when they had one a single match, but they are still a step away of their amazing performance at Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, when Denmark conceded a single loss in 19 matches and won the Olympic gold each time.

And once again, just like in the last years, when they were one of the most consistent teams in the world, Denmark are doing their magic by deploying a fantastic defence, which conceded only 96 goals, the second lowest number in the competition, conceding four goals more than Norway.

The defensive performance is, clearly, the work of many hours put into training and a result of the years of work since Jesper Jensen took control of the team in 2020. But the starting point is also the superb pair of goalkeepers which Denmark have – Sandra Toft and Althea Reinhardt.

Toft, the team’s captain, has been the 2021 IHF Female World Player of the Year and made the All-Star team at the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship and the EHF EURO 2020.

Reinhardt had a 36% saving efficiency at both the EHF EURO 2022, where she finished third in the goalkeeping standings, and at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, where Denmark finished third.

Arguably, they share the position equally, with both having hot and cold streaks, being the yin to the other’s yang, as Jensen can juggle expertly with two fantastic goalkeepers, depending on the situation, the opponent and the momentum of the match.

"Althea and I have known each other for many years now. We respect each other a lot and wish the best for each other. We are always supporting, helping, and I think that's the way to have a goalkeeper team," said Toft, just after she made a last-gasp save against Germany, to save the win for Denmark, 28:27, in the fourth match at Paris 2024.

Currently, Reinhardt is at her baseline efficiency at Paris 2024, with 37% (27 saves), while Toft sits somewhat behind, at an uncharacteristic 25% saving efficiency, with only 14 saves, giving Denmark a 30% saving efficiency overall between the posts in the current Olympics.

But Toft, Denmark’s captain, has some intangibles that are really hard to find in a goalkeeper. Take, for instance, the last shot of the match against Germany, when the opponents were on a roll, cutting a four-goal deficit to only one goal and with 13 seconds left, having a one-on-one shot to tie the score.

Jenny Behrend, Germany’s top scorer in the match, with six goals, had the ball on the right wing, ready to shoot. Toft closed the gap at the first post and dared Behrend to shoot. The wing took her best shot, but the Danish goalkeeper’s 14 save in the competition was crucial.

“I think it is a mix of experience and intuition. A bit of both. I was thinking that she wanted to shoot at the top of the goal because she had been shooting down a lot today, and I was correct. After that it was pure adrenaline coming out,” adds Denmark’s captain.

The 28:27 win, Denmark’s 20th in the history of the Olympics and secured a ticket to the quarter-finals, but the Scandinavian side will never be satisfied with just a quarter-finals berth, after finishing fourth at the EHF EURO 2020, winning the bronze medal at the 2021 and 2023 edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship and the silver at the EHF EURO 2022.

"We are very happy but we are not here just to be here. We want to make a difference. We want to win, we want to at least go to the semifinals or to play for the medals. The medals are the dream," says Toft.

Whether they will go further or not, there are a lot of boxes to be ticked. First is the goalkeeping part, with both Toft and Reinhardt being due a fantastic outing, like they usually do when pressure steps up.

Then there is the opponent, which will be known once the preliminary round ends. What is certain is that Denmark cannot finish lower than third place, hence avoiding one of the favourites, France, which secured their first place with the fourth win in a row on Thursday.

And Toft knows fully well this, aiming to extend their winning streak in the last match of the preliminary round, against the Republic of Korea.

"It's important to win games. When we win, we get confidence. We want to win against South Korea. We get rest after the Olympics," concludes the Denmark goalkeeper.