"He told me to shoot more": A new Gaugisch emerges on the big stage

To see the first steps in handball guided by one’s father, coincidentally the Germany women’s senior national team coach, is quite the place to start in the sport.

And this is precisely how Kalle Gaugisch got into handball, with his father, Markus, overseeing his development until the age of 15 years old.

Now, the versatile left back, who can play in all positions in the back line, is a key cog in Germany’s Under-17 national team, which made the final at the inaugural edition of the IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, after a 39:22 win over Qatar.

Tall, strong and with a powerful shot, Gaugisch has scored 18 goals for Germany so far from 23 shots, boasting a 78% shot efficiency.  Only three of his teammates – Leo Nowak, Leonard Volk and Lenn Strobel - have scored more goals than him.

But for Gaugisch, goals do not matter so much, rather than learning how to act alongside his teammates and produce a good collective performance.

“Yes, our offence is very great with the fast breaks. And now sometimes the defence is a bit down. But it's normal being so young. However, it is important to cover the basics in the defence, so we can provide a good transition to the attack. If we get fast breaks, then this is where we excel,” says Gaugisch.

So far, after four matches, Germany have provided the largest number of goals scored via fast breaks, 48, therefore an average of 12 fast breaks converted per match, a good reason behind their success in this competition.

And for the second time in three months, Germany are in the final of a World Championship, after winning the title at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship against Spain, 41:40, after penalties.

For sure, the current team has learnt a thing or two from that generation, as they will be aiming to repeat that performance when they meet Egypt in Casablanca in the last act of the 2025 IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship.

“It's a fantastic feeling for us to be here, to play the final, to have won all matches. Now we can recover for Saturday and tomorrow we are going to focus on our opponents,” adds the 17-year-old left back.

Coincidentally, the Germany Under-17 team is coached by Jochen Beppler, who was Markus Gaugisch’s assistant at the Germany women’s senior national team until 2024, with Gaugisch and Beppler overlooking the European side’s adventure at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when Germany made the quarter-finals.

“It is a bit funny, of course, to be coached by him, but we have a normal relationship. He is a normal coach,” laughs Gaugisch.

But of course, it is something special, especially given the left back’s background. Kalle’s father, Markus, was the inspiration for the young player’s career, having coached him until he was 15 years old.

A former player, Gaugisch moved into coaching in 2007, spending time at TV 1893 Neuhausen and then at HBW Balingen-Weilstetten, until 2015. He then spent three years at SG BBM Bietigheim, where he won multiple German championships and the EHF European League Women, before taking over the Germany women’s national team in 2022.

“He was my coach until I was 15 years old, before I moved to Balingen. He taught me a lot. From small things, to more important ones, broad ones. He would always say I should shoot more often. And he taught me a lot, as well as my teammates, he taught us to be a team,” adds Gaugisch.

But did the young Gaugisch talk with his father during this event?

“Yes, he also came here today, so I will talk to him after the match,” says Kalle, who will repay the favour in one month’s time.

Germany will co-host the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, which is a big objective for the women’s senior team, which has not finished on the podium in the competition since 2007.

They will, however, be primed to make the quarter-finals once again, and hope to go even further and challenge for a medal, with Gaugisch’s role being crucial in his fourth year as a national team coach.

“We will be in Stuttgart where they play the matches in the preliminary round and, of course, we will cheer for Germany,” concludes the 17-year-old left back.