Paris 2024 is the second edition of the Olympic Games in which Estavana Polman plays in. The Dutch centre back was also there when the Netherlands made their debut and finished fourth at Rio 2016. Now, eight years later, Polman is not longer a rookie, but a leader.

Aged 31 – therefore in her prime – Polman knows fully well that this might be her last chance to feature at the Olympics, with her injury history, which derailed her career, after securing the MVP title at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship, when the Netherlands became world champions.

Polman’s appearance at Paris 2024 was under question for most of the last season, where she featured sporadically for her club, Rapid București, missing due to several injury. But she insisted on getting as fit as possible, also playing a small part in the Netherlands’ team at the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament back in April.

It was all to still be with the team and retain the fantastic links with her teammates from back in the day, when the Netherlands became world champions and took the world by storm at Japan 2019.

"Handball is like riding a bike. It's not that you unlearn it, it's just about being fresh and healthy. I am that now and I feel great. My body finally feels good after years of struggles, and I'm really happy I'm here. I had goosebumps when the national anthem played. Now I'm here and I'm fresh,” said Polman after the Netherlands’ first win at Paris 2024, 34:31, against Angola.

"I found two women to help, my physios, and the credit is on them. They are physical coaches who did a great job with me, I follow everything they say and that is why I'm in the shape I'm in now. Everyone gave up, then they stepped in and this is good. They are my little angels hanging around."

Indeed, the Dutch centre back has been a force to be reckoned with at Paris 2024, scoring 16 goals in her first four matches, with 15 coming in the first three. She also dished 10 assists, making her one of the most influential players in the competition.

Always with a smile on her face, Polman endured some difficult moments over the last years, with a devastating knee injury threatening her future in the sport. But she found the motivation and was even driving seven hours a day to train from Esbjerg, the place where she lived, to Nykobing, where she signed, before moving to Romania in 2023.

Her passion and devotion are next to none in handball, and what drives her is also her family. Her partner, former football star Rafael van der Vaart, is following her closely, either when Polman plays for her club, or in the national team. Daughter Jesslynn is now seven years old and has been following her mother in major international competitions for the last years.

They are also here, in Paris, always present in the South Paris Arena 6, with Polman blowing a kiss and waving after the end of each match.

“My daughter is seven years old and she is starting to understand what her mother is doing. It is amazing to have them here, to support me, and it is always a nice feeling to play when they are in the stands,” says Polman.

Yet Polman’s injury curse, just as she getting back to full form, struck again at Paris 2024. When trying to pass to left wing Bo van Wetering, one of Polman’s fingers in the right hand, the throwing one, got sprained. From that moment on, the centre back did not enter the court.

“We will have it checked, clearly, after the match,” said Polman, who restrained from clapping and high fiving her teammates at the end of the match, as they celebrated their third consecutive quarter-finals berth in three appearances at the Olympics.

“Obviously, we are very happy, but the quarter-finals are totally different. You can see, every team can beat every team here. And it is very easy there – lose and go home. So we need to improve a bit, calm ourselves and deliver the best performance in the next matches. It does not matter a lot which place we finish on. For the first place, it is out of our hands, it is France’s to lose,” concludes Polman.