2017 could be the year of Poland in women’s beach handball – for the Norwegian women’s team.

After winning Norway’s first-ever EHF Beach Handball European Championship gold medal, beating a strong Polish side 2-0 (16:15, 19:16) in the final at Jarun Lake, Zagreb, Croatia in June, the team head to the 2017 IWG World Games in Wroclaw, Poland for the beach handball competition to be held from Wednesday 26 – Saturday 29 July as one of the favourites, along with current champions, Brazil, who won the title in 2013 in Cali, Colombia.

“For sure, I feel great after winning the EHF EURO,” said Norway coach Eskil Berg Andreassen, who oversaw bronze for Norway at the 2013 World Games when his side beat Chinese Taipei in the bronze medal match.

“It's been seven years since we last won a title – the 2010 IHF Beach Handball World Championship – but we always fight for medals and the key for me is almost always the defence and skills of the goalkeeper skills.

“In Zagreb, we also had a good individual performance in attack – Maren Aardahl was important for us.”

Aardahl was awarded MVP at the EHF EURO, and finished joint-top points-scorer with 152 points, but lost out on a double award, having scored 73 two-point goals, compared to 74 from eventual winner, Netherlands’ Eefke Ter Sluis.

“Our team have been working to win an EHF EURO for many years, and to be a part of the first-ever Norwegian gold medal is really special to me - I feel amazing,” said the 23-year-old. “I think the key to the success was our fitness levels, and that we are very well trained, strong and have very good endurance – some teams get more and more tired after each game but we are able to keep up the pace.”

Elisabeth Hammerstad, who played in that bronze medal match in Cali, was also full of positivity as her Norwegian side prepare for Poland.

“I feel great – we finally got a gold medal,” she told IHF.info. “It’s hard to say what made us take the gold this year, since we have been among the best teams in the past, but we are in good shape both physically and mentally.

“We spend our time training in the sand well,” she continued. “We are very well-prepared and try to learn and improve after each match, but it's always small margins in beach handball, and this time they were on our side – plus, we were very hungry for the win.”

Unsurprisingly, coach Andreassen and the Norwegian Handball Federation have no special preparations ahead of Wroclaw 2017, having been in training camps in Norway, Netherlands, France, and Croatia since May – not forgetting the EHF EURO competition too. Their main focus is to qualify for the 2018 IHF World Beach Handball Championships, set for Sochi, Russia next year.

But, another medal around their neck, to add to their bronze gained at the 2016 IHF World Beach Handball Championships in Hungary, after they lost to Spain in the semi-finals, but beat hosts Hungary in the final, will do nicely.

“I'm feeling good for the World Games, confident,” said Aardahl. “Our goal in every championship is to get a medal, and I think we have the qualities to achieve it [in Poland]. I'm really excited to see if Brazil are as strong as they usually are, because they are our toughest competition.

“We just have to wait and see how it all plays out, but we are ready.”

Coach Andreassen, echoes the thoughts of his player. “For sure Brazil are the big favourites to win the World Games,” he said. “We have managed to win nine medals in our last 10 championships (EHF EURO, World Championships and World Games), but anything can happen in beach handball.”

Another Cali 2013 squad player, Martine Welfer, is also preparing for Poland, full of confidence. “We are a team with great morale and want each other to succeed,” she said.

“We back each other up and don't stop fighting until the game is over. The World Games is an amazing tournament with a lot of great athletes and we have a good chance to take one more medal this year,” she continued. “Of course, it would be nice to grab the gold once again, but in beach handball anything can happen so we need to play really good to achieve that.”

“It’s important to remember that Poland 2017 is a new championship,” warned Hammerstad, who, along with her teammates, will face Tunisia, Argentina and world champions Spain in group A of the Preliminary Round. “The whole team have to be sharp and ready and we have to take one match at a time.”

Fellow team player Katinka Haltvik also hailed the “amazing” achievement of their EHF EURO victory and is another player looking forward to Poland as her side continues to progress the sport not only globally, but back home too.

While Norway, women and handball are best-known for their all-conquering, indoor team, for Norwegian Handball Federation Secretary General, Erik Langerud, the exploits of the sand-based team are becoming more and more famous in the land of former IHF World Handball Players of the Year Gro Hammerseng-Edin, Trine Haltvik, Cecilie Leganger, Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth and Heidi Loke.

“Our women's beach team has achieved brilliant results in championships for many years,” he said. “It was great to be able to follow them through our national broadcaster TV2 at the EHF EURO and having the country see them make it all the way to the gold medal.

“This is why we have great expectations for the World Games and we all look forward to seeing them in action again.”

Photos: IHF, NHF