23.04.2009, 03:54
Varzaru stays in Viborg

The Romanian right winger signs new contract with the Danes. Ida Bjørndalen will leave the club.

Varzaru stays in Viborg

Romanian international Christina Varzaru, who has played for Viborg since the summer of 2005, will stay with the team for another two years. The 29-year old right winger has extended her contract until the summer of 2011.

“My wish was to stay in Viborg. Everything around the team and the club is very professional. I settled in right away when I arrived four years ago. I feel very much at home here,” Christina Varzaru said.

“I had a lot of great experiences with Viborg already and I developed a lot mentally. I still have to learn a lot, and I’m really looking forward to that,” Varzaru added.

Almost two of her first three years were ruined by knee injuries. Varzaru returned to an absolute top level this season.

Happy sports director

“Christina is the best right winger in the world,” Viborg´s sports director, Torben Østergaard, added. “She has an incredible understanding of the game and this makes her fantastic in all aspects. She is very smart in her defending game and in attack she is very good at giving assists for the backcourt players. On top of this, she possesses a technique which makes her one of the finest shooters in women’s handball,” Østergaard praised the player.

Bjørndalen leaving

Next season Viborg will have new players in the squad. Gorica Acimovic will arrive from Hypo Niederösterreich, while Bojana Popovic and Nora Reiche are expected to return from injury. At the same time, former Norwegian international, Ida Bjørndalen, will be leaving at the end of the season. She spent two years at the club.

The 25-year old right back, who joined Viborg from Norwegian champions Larvik HK in the summer of 2007, has not played much during her time in Viborg. As the club can no longer afford to keep her boyfriend, Swedish international Lukas Karlsson in the men’s team, both players agreed to leave at the end of the season.

“Ida had little playing time this season because there was very intense competition for the places. We had a good discussion and Ida stated that she wanted to try something else. We believe that this is the right solution for both parties. Ida will get the chance to play more and Viborg can reduce the costs, which was also important for us,” Viborg´s sports director Torben Østergaard said.

Ida Bjørndalen and Lukas Karlsson have already found their new clubs, but they have not announced it officially yet.

TEXT: Peter Bruun