29.04.2014, 05:46
"Harder to defend a title"

INTERVIEW: Györ's shining star and team captain Anita Görbicz speaks of her long awaited triumph, the FINAL4 format and defending the title in Budapest

"Harder to defend a title"

So many attempts and so many unlucky failures before Anita Görbicz finally made her dream come true in 2013, two days before her 30th birthday, to win the Women’s EHF Champions League with Győr. Now the former World Handball Player of the Year hopes to repeat history and ignite the 10,000 supporters in Budapest.

Will Győri Audi ETO KC have home advantage with the FINAL4 staged in Budapest?

Anita Görbicz: I played before in Papp László Sportaréna, so I know how wonderful a feeling it is to play in front of 10,000 Hungarian fans. I hope this will help us, but all of our opponents are very professional and can play to the best of their abilities on foreign soil.

What is your general opinion about the MVM EHF FINAL4 as the season highlight?

Anita Görbicz: I am sure the event will be fantastic. Fans don’t get only a sporting experience but they will also be part of a show. The atmosphere will also be extraordinary for us, as no teams have such a big arena. We have to prepare very well, as we have to play the two most important games of the season in only 24 hours.

After you had won the trophy in 2013 – how do you rate the chances to defend the title in 2014?

Anita Görbicz: We said at the beginning of the season that winning the trophy was very hard, but it’s much more difficult to hold onto it and I think everybody has realised by now. I expect extremely tough matches on both days and I think the chances are similar for all teams.

Is Hungary currently the country with the biggest interest for women’s handball in Europe?

Anita Görbicz: It’s difficult to say, because all teams have huge number of fans, but from the picture we see in Hungary during matches, I think Hungary has one of the strongest fan bases in women’s handball.

Győr will face Midtjylland in the semi-final – and the Danes call it “David vs. Goliath” – do you agree? Is Győr the big favourite?

Anita Görbicz: If they think we are Goliath, I hope they aren’t right.

What did it mean to you personally to win in 2013 after so many attempts?

Anita Görbicz: I enjoyed the most beautiful moments of my life on 11 May 2013 when I could lift the trophy after so many years. Furthermore, the girls gave me a birthday present, so it was an amazing feeling!

What did Ambros Martin change since he became coach?

Anita Görbicz: He changed quite a lot in our defence, as we could win matches without scoring as many goals. This gave us self-confidence and we could build up our attacks much more successfully.

You are leading the top scorer list going into the event – how important would it be for you to win the “golden ball” again?

Anita Görbicz: For me this is not important at all, I would give back any personal title in exchange for gold medals for the team!

What are the major strengths of your team compared to your opponents?

Anita Görbicz: Variety and creativity. If the opponent tries to catch us at one point, we are able to adapt and find new solutions during the match, as well.

After Andrea Lekic and Jovanka Radicevic left at the end of last season, did you expect that Győr will arrive at Budapest as the only unbeaten team of the competition?

Anita Görbicz: We were really sorry about Leki’s and Joka’s farewell, as our team came together very strongly towards the end of the last season. Nevertheless, we felt during the summer that our new team was also very strong and would be able to hold on to the fantastic titles of last year. There is no significance whether we win every match or sometimes lose, as we can learn much more from a defeat.

TEXT: Björn Pazen / cor