Playing for a bronze medal at the Olympic Games is always difficult. Here are two teams which had previously lost the chance for gold not 48 hours before the match, with their Olympic title dreams up in tatters.

Still, they have to get on the court, fight hard and try their utmost to win the bronze medal, etching their name in history. Usually, the side with the best mental strength wins. 

For Denmark, bronze medal matches have been somewhat of a theme in the past four years. At the EHF EURO 2020, they conceded a surprising loss on their home court against Croatia. They bounced back at the 2021 and 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship editions, securing the last place on the podium.

Therefore, they knew exactly what to expect when they faced Sweden in the bronze medal match at Paris 2024, the chance to win the first medal for Denmark at the Olympics in the women’s handball competition since Athens 2004.

Their Scandinavian counterparts knew a bit about bronze medal matches too, losing the one at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games against Norway, as well as the one at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship against Denmark.

And once again, Denmark prevailed, cementing their status as one of the best teams in the world, always battling for the title, always fighting for the podium, and usually finishing there, behind Norway or France, the teams which have dominated the last five years in women’s handball.

“I want to give props to this amazing group of players which we have. We have been improving since day one I was here. I talked with the previous coach, Klavs [Bruun Jorgensen] and he told me that these players work like hell. And I have seen that from the start. We have been working our asses off for these medals in the last four years and a half,” said Denmark’s coach, Jesper Jensen.
Denmark controlled the bronze medal match from start to finish, leading by one or two goals throughout the first 45 minutes and finally making the difference in the closing stages of the match, due to their superior depth.

As the clock ran down, the players on the court had smiles on their faces. On the benches, claps and hugs were alternated with tears of joy. Denmark were back on the Olympic podium for the first time in 20 years and the Scandinavian side added a fourth medal to their tally at the Olympics, after an unprecedented three-peat at Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

“I have been growing up with the Denmark teams which have won the gold and when I was little, I was dreaming of winning my own medal. I am very happy, I cannot describe the feeling, to be honest, it is a dream came true. Of course, this medal will have a very special place in my cabinet,” said goalkeeper Sandra Toft, Denmark’s captain.

Toft has been once again instrumental for Denmark, as her partnership with Althea Reinhardt between the posts made the Scandinavian side have one of the best goalkeeper pairs at Paris 2024, with an overall saving efficiency of 34% and 98 saves in eight matches, an average of nearly 13 saves per match.

For Toft, this completes the trio of possible medals which can be secured in international competitions, having already secured the bronze at the IHF Women’s World Championship twice and the silver at the EHF EURO once. 

Denmark’s absence from the Olympics in the last years, when they navigated through thick and thin, returning for the first time since London 2012 in the women’s handball competition, after a big disappointment and an elimination from the preliminary round, meant that all of their players made their debuts at the Olympics.

And it has truly been special.

"Apart from the medal, the whole experience has been mind-blowing. The Olympic city, especially. You know when you have a dream about how it's going to be, and it is exactly like that. The full experience - all the athletes, the city, all the opportunities. It has just been amazing. You look around and pinch your arm, thinking, 'You're actually here, finally', with all the girls who have been together since we were 16, 17 years old. This has been a dream for a very long time and I am just overwhelmed," said line player Sarah Iversen, who had the chance to play alongside her sister, Rikke, also a line player, sharing an emotional moment together after the end of the match against Sweden.

But the lingering feeling remains, despite this Denmark team being difficult to beat, as proven over the last years time and time again.

Will the gold moment come in the near future?

“Like I have said, we have been working our asses off. Players were at their clubs, playing on Sundays, and when they came to the national team gatherings on Monday, they gave all in every training session. We are always fighting against Norway and France, which are fantastic teams. They have won every major competition since 2019 onwards. And when France were not there in the final, at the European Championship in 2022, we were there. Therefore, we need that little extra, but we will work for it,” concludes Jensen.

Who knows, maybe at Los Angeles 2028, Denmark will finally break through and add to their gold medal tally at the Olympics. But now, they will just celebrate the end of two tough weeks, where they were one of the teams to beat. 

And they lost only twice, both times against Norway. New chances will come. But this bronze medal will surely fuel their fire.