20.08.2012, 04:46
A new season for high-flyers THW Kiel

THW Kiel are the team to beat as they look to defend their VELUX EHF Champions League title

A new season for high-flyer THW Kiel

68:0 points in the Bundesliga, the triple including the win of the VELUX EHF Champions League, the German championship and the German Cup - since last season THW Kiel are the kings of World Handball.

Stability is very important for the club. The budget is stable at 9.5 million euros, the main sponsor "Provinzial" has been supporting the THW for three decades and the home games are staged in front of a "closed society" of 10,000 spectators.

And on the court? Is it possible to repeat what the THW achieved last season? “Last season was something unique," says THW manager Klaus Elwardt: "But anyone who wants to climb to the top has to beat us."

On top of that coach Alfred Gislason is hungry for another title: "This team is so ambitious, they always want more. The players that haven’t been at the Olympic Games have done a great job at home.”

Furthermore, Alfred Gislason read something that motivates him even more: "The winner of the VELUX EHF Champions League never reaches the next VELUX EHF Final 4. We want to break that curse."

However the team experienced some changes compared to the last season. Last year, the squad remained almost the same, this season THW Kiel have to integrate four new players, Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson, Marko Vujn, René Toft Hansen and Patrick Wiencek.

Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson (AG Kobenhavn), an Icelandic left-winger with international experience and a though character, is the most prominent of the newcomers.

Left-handed Marko Vujin (MKB Veszprém) comes with compliments, but still has to do some work in defence. Kiel won everything in the last season," says Marko Vujin. "Now we have a team that can win everything again."

The two young pivot players René Toft Hansen (AG Kobenhavn) and Patrick Wiencek (VfL Gummersbach) should benefit from the experience of captain Marcus Ahlm, who is probably starting his last season at the THW.

"I certainly can give them a tip or two but I won’t give up playing time for them," says the captain. He has no doubts that the newcomers will be integrated well. "We have a well-established team and a helpful office."

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