Löwen's captain is back on board

It was on 24 November, the day Uwe Gensheimer will always remember. German international and left wing of Rhein Neckar Löwen had to leave the court early in the one-sided EHF Cup third round qualifier against Argous (Greece). Right on that evening the diagnosis was clear and shocking: torn Achilles tendon followed by several months of an injury break.

Team captain of the Löwen did not only miss the World Championship in Spain, but also all matches of the Group phase and quarter-finals in the EHF Cup.

Despite the big loss Löwen made it to the EHF Cup Finals in Nantes, where they will face their well-known faces of Frisch Auf Göppingen in the all-German semi-final on Saturday.

And right before this season highlighter for Rhein Neckar Löwen the captain is back on board. On Tuesday evening, when Löwen lost 25:31 at newly crowned German champions THW Kiel, Gensheimer touched the floor again, missed two penalty shots against Thierry Omeyer, but finally scored the last Löwen goal at Kiel.

“It was a great feeling to be on the court with my teammates,” Gensheimer was quoted on the club website. But he knows that it will be a long way back to his regular performing level.

“We want to build him up very slowly. We could not expect him to be back in this season, so we give Uwe all the time he needs,” Löwen coach Guðmundur Guðmundsson said after the comeback of his captain.

Gensheimer will definitely travel with his team to Nantes – and the decision, whether he will be part of the EHF Cup Finals or not, will be taken only on-site. But already before, interim team captain Bjarte Myrhol unveiled a major secret for eurohandball.com. “In case we become EHF Cup winners, of course Uwe will raise the trophy as the first one,” Myrhol said.