25.04.2014, 05:28
Once in a lifetime moments in Jurack’s career

FEATURE: Most successful German EHF Champions League player Grit Jurack recalls her second of three titles, won in 2009

Once in a lifetime moments in Jurack’s career

Two medal-less Olympic campaigns in 1996 and 2008 and bronze medals at the 1997 and 2007 World Championship meant that Grit Jurack never topped the podium in the German jersey. However, her spells in Denmark made her Germany’s most successful female handball player at club level.

In her first attempt, the left-handed Jurack, born in Leipzig, made it to the semi-final of the EHF Champions League with Ikast-Bording in 2002. A club, today named FC Midtjylland, one of the participants of the first Women’s EHF Champions League FINAL4 in Budapest (3/4 May).

After another intermezzo at her home team HC Leipzig, Jurack transferred to Denmark again, this time joining Viborg HK, where she had the best spell of her career. In 2006 Jurack & Co. raised the EHF Champions League trophy for the first time after beating Krim Ljubljana in two thrilling finals.

After their domestic rivals Slagelse had triumphed for the third and final time in 2007, a remarkable season with an unexpectedly happy ending for Jurack and her teammates was to come in 2008/09.

“Already the main round ended up in a real thriller,” Jurack looks back. The final match against Hypo Niederösterreich needed to decide whether Viborg or the record competition winner would finish first to avoid Györ in the semi-finals. After a 33:31 victory, Viborg finally finished on top thanks to one single goal more than Hypo (196:166 – 195:166).

Astonishing fans

Viborg started their “mission to the final” in Valcea – and remembering this away match still sends shivers down Jurack’s spine. Scoring seven times, the German was one key to the never expected 34:28 success in the lion’s den.

But it were not those goals, Jurack remembers most, but the attitude of the Romanian fans: “Though they knew that they their team had lost, they fully backed them until the final whistle. And even more astonishing for us: When the final whistle was blown, the spectators rose for us to thank Viborg for a brilliant match with standing ovations.

“Before and after, I never experienced a shiver like this in any away match. Those spectators in Valcea are true handball fans.”

To make it to their second final was a formality after the clear away win –and a 21:21 draw at home was enough to face Györ.

And everything went wrong in the first leg of the final in Aalborg. “The preparation on-site was quite strange, we did not feel at home, as in the end it was an away match – and we played a really poor game,” Jurack remembers the 24:26 home defeat, which opened all the gates for the Hungarian side.

“We arrived at the arena in Veszprem – and we thought that we had faced the best ever atmosphere in our away game at Valcea, but we were wrong.

“More than one hour prior to the start, the hall was fully packed; the crazy fans caused an incredible noise and a very, very special atmosphere. We knew that we had to go through hell,” Jurack says, adding: “We arrived there as the absolute underdogs, we had nothing to lose – and the whole of Hungary was already prepared for a big party. Even the Györ players were absolutely sure to raise the trophy – but finally we ruined their party thanks to our best match ever,” the right back tells of the 26:23 away win, which provided Viborg and Jurack with their second trophy. Thanks to her 113 goals, Jurack even became the competition’s top scorer that season.

One more trophy was to follow a year later, when the Danish side did not have any problems to overrun Valcea in the 2010 finals. Another remarkable aspect for Jurack, as she was on court again, only two months after she had given birth to her first son Lukas, helping her team with four goals against Larvik to the final against the Romanian side.

Something missing with Germany

In 2012, after a severe shoulder injury, Jurack quit playing handball at the age of 34, holding all records of women’s handball in Germany: 306 international matches since 1996 and 1579 goals for the national team.

However, while she won all possible club titles, Jurack’s career in the national team was less stunning, despite participating at six World Championships and seven EHF EURO events. The only medals she won was a bronze at the 1997 and 2007 World Championships, when she became top scorer of the tournament. She never won silverware at EHF EURO events, with semi-final appearances twice in 2006 and 2008 being the closest she ever came to a medal.

Five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008) Jurack was voted German female handball player of the year and in 2009 a nominee for World Handball Player of the Year.

After a long time in Denmark, Jurack returned to Germany one year ago. Since December she is a mother of two sons, but remains close to handball. Currently she is one of the ambassadors of the “handball at school” project of the German Handball Federation. Having a degree in sports marketing, Jurack hopes to get a function in national or international handball, when her boys have grown up.

“Unfortunately Viborg missed the qualification for the Champions League Group Matches this season, but my other former Danish club Ikast is part of the FINAL4,” Jurack says, looking ahead to the pinnacle event: “I really appreciate this form of promotion for women’s handball by implementing a FINAL4.”

For her, defending champions Györ –the team they had beaten in the 2009 final on Hungarian soil – are the big favourites: “They will have the full support in Budapest. But as an advice for the remaining three teams: Take Viborg as an example, we managed to win at the lion’s den.”

As neither Viborg nor a German team are part of the FINAL4, Jurack will cross her fingers in a different way: “I wish my former national team mates Sabine Englert and Clara Woltering all the best in Budapest.”

TEXT: Björn Pazen / cor