Back in November, before the current IHF Women’s World Championship had started, Norway centre back Emilie Christensen had as her official number of senior international matches and goals on the 28-name provisional squad list for Germany 2017 as ‘0’ and ‘0’, while left back Helene Gigstad Fauske had ‘2’ and ‘1’ in the respective columns.

Such small numbers were dwarfed by those of the experienced left wing Camilla Herrem (211/567), pivot Heidi Loke (174/650) and captain Stine Oftedal (141/315), amongst plenty of other household names, but this galaxy of Norwegian handball stars all had to start somewhere, just like the two newest arrivals in coach Thorir Hergeirsson squad.

In fact, to get into the final 16 squad for one of the greatest women’s national teams in recent history, coached by a three-time IHF World Coach of the Year (women’s teams) in Hergeirsson, is tough enough, and then it is by no means a guarantee that you will step onto the court in a World Championship – something both Fauske and Christensen found out last week.

When title holders Norway opened their Germany 2017 account with a win against Hungary (30:22), both Fauske and Christensen had gone through their pre-match routines and sat patiently on the bench during the game, but come the final buzzer they still awaited their championship bow.

The Norwegians then faced Argentina in their next match and both players did not need to wait any longer. Fauske played for just over 60 seconds (73 in total), mainly replacing Katrine Lunde when Norway went with the extra player in attack, while Christensen played for longer, with just under 20 minutes to her name. 

And both players managed debut championship goals, as Christensen sunk home in the 44th minute and Fauske registered from nine metres in the 60th minute, in an emphatic 15-goal Norway victory (36:21).

Poland were up next in the preliminary round and both young guns played again, a few minutes for Fauske (2:28) and a goal, while Christensen clocked up just over 10 minutes. The 34:16 win over Czech Republic which followed the Polish victory saw Fauske play for just under 17 minutes and Christensen clock up 28 minutes on court and another strike, but the two ended their preliminary group campaign how they started – by sitting on the bench as Norway lost 31:28 in the derby duel against Sweden.

“They are ready to come in and they have qualities which we can use in this tournament,” said Hergeirsson about the pair. “But they have to be patient - maybe [in games] they get zero, one or 10 minutes, it depends, but they are ready.”

Ready they were, and when IHF.info spoke with both players separately about their debuts this past week, raw emotions from the pair were clear to see.

“I got the message that 10 minutes into the second half I was going to play with Nora [Mork] and Veronica [Kristiansen],” said Christensen after the Argentina match. “It was kind of a relief to play with them both as they are so used to being in this environment, they know me well and they know that I was nervous and insecure – but it went well.

“I was really nervous when I got the message that I was going to play but when I entered the field it felt like my shoulders went down a bit,” she continued. “I could play with my heart and my mind - it was good, really fun.”

“Coach Hergeirsson said that he didn’t know how many minutes we are going to get but we sat on the bench and are ready all the time, so it was up to him” said Fauske after Norway defeated Czech Republic. “It was really good, and it felt really good when I scored the first goal, but I have to keep going in that way. 

“We are new both of us and we are on the same journey, so we can back each other up – it is a lot of fun when she is playing in the middle and I’m playing at left back, but our team is very good in backing up the new players - I feel comfortable playing in this team.”

Fauske even got to take part in another important aspect of being an elite international player – facing the global press in the post-match press conference when Norway chose her to speak alongside her coach after the Czech Republic win. “I was really nervous to speak English,” she said about the experience, “I got a little bit scared at first, but I think it was alright.”

Even though the 24-year-old Christensen and 20-year-old Fauske managed to avoid a common debut ritual of singing a song to their teammates, the moment could not pass without something and, together, they presented something to the experienced squad to mark their passage into the senior side.

“We actually had to do a speech, but I wasn’t alone – I was with Helena,” said Christensen, who plays her club handball for Larvik. “We did some sort of poem with a package, it was fun.

“The whole squad have been very welcoming – they all know my position and have been there before, so they know what to do and what to say to me to make me feel comfortable and be myself.”

For Fauske, what would her 10-year-old-self think if she had been told that she would be playing for Norway with teammates such as Katrine Lunde and Heidi Loke?

“Are you serious – I would not have believed it,” said the FC Midtjylland player in thoughts echoed exactly by her teammate. “No, no, no. I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Christensen. “When I was 15-years-old I was around 1,40m [tall] and the gap was far, but I have worked hard for so long just trying to be myself, improve my skills and it made me come here.

“This is definitely a motivational boost for me, with my club this half season it has been up and down – but [Germany 2017] is some sort of confirmation that I am doing some things right. If I just keep working hard I will be able to reach as far as I can and then I will keep on working when I return home.”

For both players, they are keen to stress their gratitude and thanks the army of those teachers, coaches, family members and friends who helped them get to the top. 

“I want to say thank-you so much to all the people who helped me get here,” said Fauske, who helped guide the Norway junior team to fifth place at the 2016 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in Russia, scoring 16 goals and playing for over six hours across the nine games – the most in the squad. “I want to say thank-you for all the help they gave me.”

“I want to tell them: thanks for believing in me and spending their time practising with me,” said Christensen. “I also want to say thanks to them for talking with me, teaching me how to do things right, how to improve myself - they never gave up on me.”

“They are young players and have been developing as members of our youth and junior teams and we know that they are players for the future,” said Hergeirsson about the duo. “It’s important to take players into championships and learn what they are all about, but we will see them in the future I am sure.”

In recent years, for Norway, it has all been about the podium, and Fauske and Christensen are yet another two players who continue the long tradition of the Norwegian production line of talent.