Assink reactivated

Defending Women’s Champions League winners Viborg HK seem to have found a solution to the problem on the line position. It emerged in their Champions League match against Oltchim Vâlcea last Sunday when German international Anja Althaus picked up a knee injury.

The 27 year old pivot is going to be sidelined for up to eight weeks. Before her accident, another Viborg pivot, Lene Lund Høy Karlsen had left the team due to pregnancy.

As eurohandball.com has reported before, Viborg found a substitute to Karlsen in the ranks, as pivot Karen Smidt was promoted from the reserve team. Now a similar move seems to be the solution during Althaus’s absence.

On Sunday former Dutch international Olga Assink made a remarkable comeback at Viborg’s 29-23 home victory over SK Århus in the Danish league. She played between 15 and 20 minutes in the defence as well as in the attack.

The 31 year old mother of two was part of the Viborg team that won their first Champions League title in 2006. But a year later she ended her career due to knee problems.

Still, she has been able to make a comeback to the handball court, first in Skive in the second Danish league, and lately in Viborg’s reserve team in the third league.

Actually, Assink has appeared in the Viborg team once before this season. That was back in the autumn in a league match against FCK Håndbold, in a situation where Viborg were severely handicapped by injury. That was her first appearance at top level since the Champions League finals in 2006.