“We were in the locker room and my teammate, Orlane Kanor, came to me and congratulated me. I said, what did I do? And then she showed me that I was named the IHF Young Female Player of the Year. Wow, what a feeling. Then all my teammates came to me and said congratulations.”

Petra Simon just turned 20 years old in November 2024, but she is already one of the must-watch players on the big stage. The Hungarian centre back has been a breath of fresh air in 2024, fulfilling her excellent potential, which was announced since 2022, when she was named the All-Star centre back at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

But the transition to senior handball is never easy. Yet Simon has made it look easy at time, such as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when she scored a buzzer-beater against Brazil, lifting Hungary to a crucial win, as well as at the EHF EURO 2024, when she was named in the All-Star team as the best young player of the competition, where Hungary finally broke their medal drought and secured the bronze.

“Since 2018, I was in Ferencvaros. I was called up to the first squad in 2021, if I remember correctly, and it was an amazing feature. I was so young and there I was, with some excellent experienced players, like Zita Szucsanszki, Zsuszanna Tomori or Beatrice Edwige. And then, for one season, I was loaned to another team from Budapest, MTK, where I learnt a lot and played more and that was crucial for me, to play more, to learn and to become better and better,” adds Simon.

Yet Simon was not sure of her place at the Olympics, as she had only made her debut in the senior national team in October 2023, when coach Vladimir Golovin called her up to replace Petra Vamos, who was injured. In that match against Austria, Simon scored seven goals and subsequently got called up for the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, her maiden international competition.

She scored nine goals in six matches, but the seed was sown and Simon then became a mainstay in the Hungary women’s senior national team, just one year removed after she received the MVP honours at the W19 EHF EURO 2023, where Hungary extended their domination at that age category.

“It is not necessarily easy for a young player to break through and secure a place in the senior team, but I have been getting more and more confident. We had the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Debrecen, at home, and I have played good there, but I knew that there were only 14 places in the squad for the Olympics. I got the call in the end, I was in the roster, so everything was fantastic, I felt amazing,” said Simon.

The diminutive centre back, who is just 1.68m tall, scored 16 goals at the Olympics, including a crucial one against Brazil, the last goal of the match, in Hungary’s 25:24 win. Were the European side to not win that match, it would have been more difficult to secure the third place in the standings in Group B.

“The first Olympics, my first edition there… It was something extraordinary. You just get to grasp the sensation, to be there, to feel how it is. Absolutely fantastic. To score such a goal against Brazil? It is even more special. I remember I entered the match in the second half and I scored some goals and in the end of the match, the coach called a time-out and told us that I was going to take the last shot,” says Simon.

“Of course, I knew I had to shoot as good as I can. But they defended well, and when I had the ball in my hand, I looked at the clock, saw that there were not many seconds left and I thought I needed to produce my best shot. It was not the best position, but there was not much time left, so I shot and it went in. The feeling was absolutely fantastic.”

Indeed, Simon showed grit and courage and, for a 19-year-old at that time, she proved to be relentless and take responsibility in a crucial time. Just like the player she grew up idolising, Anita Görbicz, did in her career.

Görbicz was a true star, with a silver and a bronze medal at the IHF Women’s World Championship in 2003 and 2005 respectively and two bronze medal at the EHF EURO in 2004 and 2012.

She was a true leader, a powerhouse on the court, which had leadership skills, a fantastic technique and a true magician with the ball.

“When I was little, I looked up to her, for what she did for Hungary and for her club, Györ. I liked the way she lobbed, the way she threw spin shots, the way she dictated the play on the court. She was a true leader of the national team. I liked the way she played a lot,” says Simon.

But with Simon and some fantastic young generations, Hungary are back between the top teams in the world, after some years in purgatory, where the results have been certainly lacking. In 2024, they finished sixth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and third at the EHF EURO, and Simon played a big role in those results, becoming a player which is more and more important.

As the pressure will now get bigger and bigger, Simon will have more expected from her, as she is likely to be a leader. But, in her own words, she is still learning, as at FTC, she shares the centre back duties with an all-time great on that position, Andrea Lekic, who is a true model.

“Of course, I always have something to learn from such players. But the focus is now for a successful end of the season with FTC, this is clear. We want to qualify for the EHF FINAL4 and win the domestic league, we have a match coming up in May against our rivals, Györ, which will be decisive to win the title.”

“And for the national team, of course, we will be at the World Championship in December, and we will try to win a medal again. That would be amazing,” concludes Simon.

Of course, while she is still 20, she can still win the IHF Young Female Player of the Year again. For now, Simon has what it takes to become one of the best in the world and fulfil the potential she showed in the younger age categories.

And, like always, she enjoys the challenge. Like in the match against Brazil at the Olympics, when she took the ball, looked at the clock and assumed responsibility. Something hard to fathom for a 19-year-old.

“I like this position and I like to take responsibility,” says Simon. Maybe something that really differentiates her from other players.